Tandoh: Africa must redefine ‘critical minerals’ to serve its own development agenda

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s Minerals Commission, Isaac Tandoh, has called on African countries to rethink and redefine the concept of “critical minerals” to reflect the continent’s own development priorities, rather than adopting definitions shaped by the needs of the developed economies.

Speaking on Tuesday, 10 February, at a panel discussion titled “Is ‘Critical Minerals’ the Right Term for Africa?” at the ongoing Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, Mr Tandoh argued that the widely used definition of critical minerals—largely centred on minerals required for the global energy transition—does not fully align with Africa’s economic, industrial and social realities.

“Africa cannot define critical minerals in the same way as the Western world. We must define critical minerals in a way that serves our people’s well-being, industrialisation and democratic development,” he said.

He added, “If we fail to do this, we will merely fulfill export ambitions rather than address local needs.”

According to Mr Tandoh, minerals should be considered critical based on their capacity to drive industrialisation, infrastructure development, job creation and broad-based economic transformation across the continent.

He stressed the need for a clear, Africa-led framework that identifies minerals as critical not only for the global energy transition, but also for domestic manufacturing, regional value addition and long-term economic resilience.

Mr Tandoh further emphasised that redefining critical minerals must go hand in hand with policies that promote beneficiation, local participation and sustainable resource governance. Without such measures, he warned, Africa risks remaining a supplier of raw materials while others capture the greater share of value.