---
title: "The African Century will be built through green industrialisation, not mined from the ground"
description: "Africa’s green minerals represent a historic opportunity. But realising it will require generations working together, combining experience with fresh thinking and creating opportunities for Africans to turn the continent’s natural wealth and human potential into shared prosperity."
type: "OpinionNewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Opinionistas"
author: "Rob Davies and Lilian Mugalla"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/rob-davies-and-lilian-mugalla/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-11-02-the-african-century-will-be-built-through-green-industrialisation-not-mined-from-the-ground/"
published: "2026-11-02T10:00:00"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1053
---

# The African Century will be built through green industrialisation, not mined from the ground

> Africa’s green minerals represent a historic opportunity. But realising it will require generations working together, combining experience with fresh thinking and creating opportunities for Africans to turn the continent’s natural wealth and human potential into shared prosperity.

By Rob Davies and Lilian Mugalla · Published 2 November 2026, 12:00 SAST

## Content

Growing up in Migori, a gold mining region of western Kenya, offered an early lesson in the contradictions of Africa’s resource wealth. Valuable minerals can be extracted from the ground without significantly improving the lives of the people living around them. It is a familiar story across the continent: raw materials leave African shores, industries and jobs are created elsewhere, and local communities see little of the value generated from their own resources.

But that story will not define Africa’s future. As young leaders and experienced policymakers gather at the[One Young World Summit](https://www.oneyoungworld.com/) in Cape Town this November, the question of what it will take to make this the African Century is one of the plenary challenges shaping the summit agenda, and rightfully deserves particular attention.

The global transition towards cleaner energy and industrial production has created an extraordinary opportunity. The Democratic Republic of Congo alone accounted for[an estimated 73% of global mined cobalt in 2025](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-cobalt.pdf), a mineral essential to many battery technologies. Across the continent, other resources offer similar possibilities for industrial development.

Yet the significance of this moment has less to do with Africa’s resources than what it chooses to build. For much of its modern economic history, Africa has occupied a position in global supply chains established during colonialism: exporting raw materials while higher-value processing, manufacturing and technological development takes place elsewhere.

Africa cannot let the energy transition reinforce that pattern and allow its minerals to power industries and prosperity in other parts of the world. Instead it must provide the foundation for a different economic future.

### **From resource extraction to industrial transformation**

This future requires a deliberate commitment to green industrialisation. Africa needs to develop the capacity to process resources locally, manufacture components, build technologies and participate in higher-value economic activities. Crucially, these industries must be competitive in a world moving toward lower-carbon production. Repeating the carbon-intensive industrialisation of earlier generations would risk creating industries that struggle to compete in tomorrow’s markets.

The opportunity extends well beyond mineral extraction, processing and value addition. It includes renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, agricultural processing, textiles, chemicals and a broad range of supporting industries. African countries don’t need to manufacture every component of a sophisticated product from the outset. They can develop progressively, building technical capabilities, establishing businesses and moving higher up the value chain.

Africa presents a growing economic case for these technologies. Cleaner technologies are becoming attractive to African consumers and businesses, partly because of environmental concerns, but more importantly because of energy security, volatile fuel prices, and the potential for lower operating costs.

Ethiopia’s hydropower capacity combined with policies that encourage electric mobility[has helped accelerate EV adoption](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/trends-in-electric-cars) while reducing the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. These developments create opportunities for African industries to serve African markets, from vehicle assembly to charging infrastructure and maintenance services.

### **Cooperation key to realising industrial ambitions**

Realising these opportunities will require cooperation at a scale that individual countries cannot achieve in isolation. Not every African economy can establish its own automotive or battery manufacturing industry. Countries can, however, develop complementary capabilities in mineral processing, component production, engineering, research and supporting services. The emerging[battery value-chain partnership between the DRC and Zambia](https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-10/battery-value-chains-central-african-copperbelt.pdf) demonstrates the potential of this approach, even as implementation challenges remain.

Here, the African Continental Free Trade Area must become more than just an agreement governing trade. It should provide a platform for countries, businesses and investors to work together in developing competitive regional industries.

The Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative is another important step, bringing African institutions together around investment and green industrial development. Recent African Union commitments,[including the mandate to negotiate an industrial-policy protocol linked to the AfCFTA](https://au.int/sites/default/files/decisions/46188-Assembly_Decisions_31_March_E.pdf), show that the political foundations are taking shape.

### **Young people are critical**

However, agreements alone don’t build industries. The spirit of cooperation must extend beyond governments to the businesses, researchers, investors and communities whose combined efforts will determine whether these ambitions succeed. Critically, it must include Africa’s young people.

The continent has the world's youngest population, with the World Bank projecting that sub-Saharan Africa’s working-age population[will grow by more than 620 million people between 2025 and 2050](https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/africa-pulse). This represents enormous economic potential, but also a profound responsibility. Without productive industries, decent employment and opportunities to develop useful capabilities, a demographic advantage can quickly become a development challenge.

Young Africans also have perhaps the greatest stake in getting these decisions right. They will inherit a world shaped by climate disruption, geopolitical uncertainty and technological developments whose consequences even today’s most experienced leaders cannot fully anticipate. Their role cannot be limited to implementing strategies designed by previous generations. They must be among the principal architects of Africa's industrial future.

That does not diminish the value of experience. Industrial development requires knowledge accumulated over decades, including an understanding of what has worked, what has failed and why. But it requires new perspectives, technical ingenuity and a willingness to challenge established assumptions. Intergenerational collaboration should work in both directions, with experienced leaders sharing knowledge while recognising the capabilities and ideas younger Africans bring.

### **Africans must shape Africa’s future**

For many young Africans, the challenge is not a lack of ambition or education, but opportunities to apply their knowledge, develop practical skills and access funding. Industry must create pathways for learning by doing, while experienced leaders share knowledge and make room for new ideas. The[African Climate Foundation’s](https://africanclimatefoundation.org/) support for selected young African leaders attending One Young World demonstrates how access to mentorship, networks and new perspectives can help turn potential into action.

These opportunities must extend to local communities. Green industrialisation cannot be considered successful if workers face unsafe conditions or communities bear environmental costs. Women, young people and local businesses must share in the benefits and help shape industrial development from the outset.

One Young World offers a platform to elevate these voices and foster collaboration, while COP32 in Ethiopia next year can advance the finance, technology cooperation and international support needed to realise Africa’s ambitions. Both are essential, but neither replaces the need for African-led action, investment and cooperation.

The African Century will not be mined out of the ground. It will be built by Africans, young and old, working together to turn the continent’s natural wealth and human ingenuity into a future of shared prosperity. **DM**