In a move to reclaim the continent’s economic narrative, the CEO of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Isaac Tandoh, is calling for a radical shift in how Africa classifies and manages its vast natural wealth.
Speaking on February 10, 2026, at the African Mining Indaba, Mr. Tandoh warned that adhering to mineral definitions imposed by the “Global North” risks reducing the continent to a mere “warehouse” for foreign energy transitions.
A New Framework for Sovereignty
During a roundtable discussion titled “Is the Term ‘Critical Minerals’ Right for Africa?” at the Ngorongoro Crater Stage, Tandoh argued that current global definitions prioritize foreign needs over African development.
“Africa should define critical minerals in Africa’s own terms, anchored in our development objectives, our people’s needs, and our continent’s sustainable future,” he stressed.
To bridge the gap between extraction and industrialization, the CEO proposed a specialized three-tier framework:
Core Development Minerals: Resources essential for powering Africa’s own industrialization and electrification. These, he insisted, must be processed locally to create domestic jobs.
Global Energy Transition Minerals: Resources in high demand globally. While these should be supplied responsibly, they must be leveraged to build regional processing capacity.
Guardrail Minerals: Resources that carry high environmental or social risks, necessitating strict governance and total transparency.
Moving Beyond the “Export Only” Model
The CEO highlighted that as Africa urbanizes and pursues inclusive growth, its minerals should be viewed as the “bricks and mortar” of local factories and digital economies, rather than just raw inputs for foreign clean-energy tech.
“If we simply adopt foreign definitions, we risk exporting raw ore while importing finished goods,” Tandoh warned.
He further outlined three non-negotiable principles for the continent’s extractive sector:
Governance: Transparent licensing and strict oversight.
Value Addition: Moving from extraction to “beneficiation” (local refining and manufacturing).
Adaptability: Building regional ecosystems for steel, batteries, and electronics.
Call for a Pan-African Charter
To formalize this shift, Mr. Tandoh called for the establishment of a Critical Minerals Charter. This charter would set continent-wide governance standards, beneficiation targets, and milestones for skills development. He urged that this be a collaborative effort involving governments, industry, and civil society.
“Africa’s minerals are critical, but not because the world says so,” Tandoh concluded. “They are critical because they hold the key to our sovereignty, resilience, and prosperity.”
