lithiumlatest news & developments
Without responsible governance, the rush for minerals risks environmental harm, social disruption and lost economic opportunity

UN report: Africa’s transition minerals key to global clean energy future

Without responsible governance, the rush for minerals risks environmental harm, social disruption and lost economic opportunity

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Africa is sitting on the raw materials to power the world’s green revolution — cobalt, lithium, graphite, rare earths.

Lithium rush a crossroads for Zim’s future

Zimbabwe’s government can use the critical minerals surge to empower communities and foster inclusive development

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
Lithium mines in Zimbabwe’s communal areas deprive people of their land rights, grazing land and water. Photo: Madelene Cronjé

Mining of critical minerals tramples grazing and water rights in Zimbabwe

Laws exist to protect the environment and people, but these are not enforced regarding mining, in particular lithium

4 min read
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe. Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Gallo

Cabinet approves strategy identifying platinum, manganese, iron ore, coal and chrome as critical minerals

Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said the strategy would help ensure policy and regulatory certainty in the mining sector

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Women and children work at an artisanal cobalt mine in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: Augustin Wamenya/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

South Africa’s G20 presidency must rewire the global race for critical minerals

It must champion a new global compact on critical minerals, one that prioritizes beneficiation, environmental protection, fair labour and development justice.

7 min read
Extraction: Among the green minerals is copper, which is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, South Africa and Namibia. Photo: Getty Images

Decolonise the mind to power a green future

Green industrialisation in Africa is needed for the climate crisis and for a just development path

  • Eyaaz
8 min read
(File photo by Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images)

Global mining conflicts surge, posing threat to clean energy transition

Conflicts over mineral mining, including copper and lithium, are rising, threatening billions in investments and slowing the clean energy transition, a new study finds

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
A new case study proposes that, as part of the country’s energy transition, mining-affected communities, like those in Sekhukhune, set up solar farms through cooperatives to generate electricity for their own use.

A new currency backed by minerals? Africa is gambling on its energy transition

The continent must use energy minerals for its development rather than feeding them to industrialised countries

4 min read
Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.(Rodger Bosch/AFP)

No minerals for the US if aid is cut, Gwede Mantashe threatens

The mineral and petroleum resources minister also told the mining indaba that the African continent must take charge of its mineral wealth

  • Eyaaz
4 min read
There is a good argument for Southern Africa to be positioned as a hub for beneficiation and manufacturing in the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors, generating additional revenue, building local expertise and creating higher-value jobs.

Critical minerals a potential catalyst for sustainable growth in Southern Africa

Policies that attract investment while safeguarding long-term national interests can foster a conducive environment for cross-border investments

  • Eyaaz
6 min read
The mining industry has the potential to grow if there is more investment in exploration projects. (Michele Spatari/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Confluence of geopolitics, energy and trade can drive change in Africa’s mining industry

The theme of the February 2025 Mining Indaba, Futureproofing Mining Today, underscores the urgency of aligning policy, investment and local development to secure sustainable growth

  • Eyaaz
6 min read
In the lush village of Umzumbe in southern KwaZulu-Natal, communities living adjacent to the SA Lithium mine say they are already experiencing the negative impacts of the operation and were never consulted about it. Photo: Aphiwe Moyo
Video

Critical futures: What SA wants from its transition minerals

With vast deposits of minerals that make South Africa a key player in the green energy transition, Andiswa Matikinca investigates the future that stakeholders want to see

  • Eyaaz
9 min read
(File photo by Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images)

Only a Pan-African industrial policy on critical minerals for renewable will unlock prosperity

African countries must avoid the mistakes of the fossil-fuel industrial revolution; the mining of cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel and copper must be based on equity, human rights and local development

6 min read
Energy demand: Tanzania’s transition minerals include an estimated 70-million tonnes of graphite ore (above), commonly used in electrodes for batteries and fuel cells. Photo supplied

Clean energy minerals: Tanzania’s dark side to ‘a new dawn’

Tanzania is banking on its natural resources during the global transition to clean energy, but analysts warn there are dangers ahead

  • Eyaaz
11 min read
Maximum penalty: Lithium mine Bikita Minerals was fined $5,000 for polluting nearby water sources. Photo: Energy & Power Insider

Zimbabwe’s lithium liability

Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a global leader in mining and processing lithium, a critical energy transition mineral. But these ambitious plans come at a cost

11 min read

Battery minerals shine light on a greener, cleaner future

Responsible resource development goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship and social responsibility

  • Derek Davey
5 min read