The Southern African Development Community (Southern African Development Community) has launched a five-year regional initiative aimed at reducing the export of raw critical minerals and promoting value addition within the region to support industrialisation, job creation and sustainable economic growth.
The project, titled “Fostering Environmentally and Socially Responsible, Decarbonised, Inclusive and Transformative Value Chains for Energy Transition Minerals in the SADC Region,” was officially launched in Lusaka, Zambia, and will run from March 2026 to February 2031.
The programme will be implemented in six countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The region holds significant reserves of minerals essential to the global energy transition, including cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel and platinum group metals. However, much of these resources continue to be exported in raw or semi-processed form, limiting the economic benefits available to producing countries.
The new initiative, supported by Germany’s International Climate Initiative and led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in partnership with regional stakeholders, seeks to promote local processing, beneficiation and manufacturing activities linked to these minerals.
Speaking at the launch, Zambia’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Dr. Hapenga Kabeta, said the region has a unique opportunity to leverage its mineral wealth to accelerate industrialisation and improve livelihoods.
He noted that rising global demand for critical minerals presents opportunities for Southern African countries to move beyond supplying raw materials and participate more actively in higher-value segments of global supply chains.
Zambia’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Dr. Douty Chibamba, emphasized the importance of balancing mineral development with environmental protection and social inclusion.
He said the project would prioritize responsible mining practices, support green industrialisation and ensure greater participation of women, youth, local communities and persons with disabilities in mineral value chains.
According to ECA Director for Southern Africa, Eunice Kamwendo, regional cooperation will be essential for building competitive mineral value chains, as no single country possesses all the resources and capabilities required to develop complete battery and clean-energy manufacturing ecosystems.
The initiative will support the development of policy frameworks based on strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, strengthen environmental monitoring systems and improve regulatory oversight across participating countries.
Germany, through its International Climate Initiative, will support efforts to ensure that the growing global demand for energy transition minerals generates sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for host countries.
Project coordinators said the programme aligns with the African Union’s Africa Mining Vision, the Africa Green Minerals Strategy and the SADC Regional Mining Vision. It is also expected to support the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area by encouraging greater intra-African trade in processed minerals and manufactured products.
For Zimbabwe, participation in the initiative could help accelerate investment in lithium processing, battery component manufacturing and other downstream industries, creating skilled employment opportunities and supporting broader industrial development.
Regional leaders said the coming years will be critical in determining whether Southern Africa can capture greater value from its vast mineral resources and establish itself as a leading global hub for sustainable energy-transition mineral value chains.