Many countries in Africa are looking to develop lithium resources as the race to secure stable supply of the battery metal continues to gather pace. Here the Investing News Network has listed some of the key deposits being developed in Africa by publicly listed companies. The assets are listed in alphabetical order for each country.
Chinese companies have moved faster than the western world to secure lithium supply in Africa. And it is not just lithium they are looking to lock down — they also have ownership and interests in properties that hold other key metals needed for electric vehicles, such as cobalt and copper.
Benchmark Intelligence is projecting that in 2024, the African continent will account for 10 percent of global lithium production. Many countries in Africa are looking to develop lithium resources, and some are even producing the metal.
Which African countries have a high demand for lithium?
As the auto industry shifts towards electric vehicles, lithium-rich African countries such as Zimbabwe and Namibia are poised to benefit from increased global demand. Arcadia Lithium Project, Zimbabwe The project is situated 38km east of Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare.
That said, there are a number of other African countries that have lithium resources, including Namibia, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ghana. All in all, Africa accounts for about 5 percent of global lithium resources. Where Does Tesla Get its Lithium?
How much has China spent on lithium projects in Zimbabwe?
"Chinese firms have spent more than $1 billion over the past two years to acquire and develop lithium projects in Zimbabwe, which holds some of the world's largest hard rock lithium reserves," reported Reuters in July 2023. Arcadia The Arcadia lithium project is Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt's (SHA: 603799) largest single investment in Africa to date.
Africa has considerable lithium resources, boasting 5% of the world's total reserves. Lithium is an essential element for the energy transition and is used in a variety of applications including batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.