Global competition for critical raw materials has intensified significantly as states and industries seek to secure resilient supply chains that support the energy transition and emerging digital economies. Recent geopolitical disruptions, coupled with rising demand for strategic minerals, have accelerated efforts by governments and private-sector actors to diversify sourcing partnerships, strengthen industrial security, and reduce vulnerabilities in global supply networks.
In this evolving landscape, Africa occupies an increasingly strategic position, with substantial reserves of critical minerals central to the 21st century’s energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and digital economy. African governments are strengthening resource governance frameworks through local value-addition requirements, beneficiation policies, and, in some cases, restrictions on the export of unprocessed strategic minerals, reflecting a deliberate shift toward industrialization and long-term value creation. In parallel, global industries are accelerating efforts to diversify away from highly concentrated downstream processing structures that continue to expose critical mineral supply chains to geopolitical disruption and strategic vulnerability.
Together, these dynamics are reshaping global supply chains toward more integrated and resilient partnership models between African producers and international stakeholders, including long-term offtake arrangements, processing partnerships, project finance structures, and capital investment flows, anchored in beneficiation, technology transfer, industrial development, infrastructure investment, and sustained long-term value creation.
Against this backdrop, the proposed roundtable is conceived as a high-level, execution-oriented platform focused on translating strategic dialogue into practical pathways for cooperation. The initiative will convene senior government representatives, industry leaders, investors, and strategic stakeholders to examine how sovereign priorities, industrial strategy, and private sector investment can be better aligned to support resilient and mutually beneficial supply chains.
Devconia and the South African High Commission to the UK, in collaboration with Invest Africa and in partnership with Anglo American, are delighted to convene this timely roundtable focused on supply chain diversification and resilience; Africa’s evolving resource governance landscape; industrial cooperation across mining, energy and advanced technology sectors; and practical pathways for value addition, investment mobilisation and long-term strategic partnership.
In partnership with
