TELF AG analyzes Africa’s still partially untapped energy and mineral potential
Energy and minerals
Over the next few decades, the success of the global energy transition could be closely linked to the energy and mineral potential of the African continent. This data emerges from one of the latest analyses published by UNDP, the United Nations program focused on developing countries. This analysis has drawn a comprehensive picture of the African energy situation and the possible actions that could be undertaken to allow the continent to express its full potential.
As stated in the analysis, the African continent has great potential linked to renewable energy: 11 TW of solar energy capacity, 350 GW of hydroelectric, 15 GW of geothermal energy, and 110 GW of wind capacity. Despite these data, last year, clean energy (except hydroelectric) accounted for only 6% of the total energy production of the African continent, with a still quite limited number of nations implementing these new energy systems within their national programs.
The success of the African energy revolution, as defined by the UNDP analysis, could therefore depend on the ability of governments to express the continent’s energy potential fully, implementing clean energy on a larger scale and establishing appropriate international partnerships focused on the development of the energy sector. According to UNDP researchers, from this point of view, the main drivers of change are represented by political interventions and concrete actions by governments, together with a broader understanding of market dynamics.
The role of mineral resources
In addition to more ambitious energy planning, the success of African economic and social development is also closely linked to the mining sector. Africa has some important reserves of minerals directly related to the success of the global energy transition, such as copper, cobalt, lithium, and manganese. Lithium, important for manufacturing batteries, has been found chiefly in Namibia and Zimbabwe, while manganese is mainly produced in South Africa. According to the analysis, to achieve the climate objectives set for 2050, 3 billion tons of these minerals will be needed to manufacture wind turbines, solar panels, and other important clean energy vectors.
According to the analysis, the management of these resources could be further improved thanks to the latest fruits of digitalization and innovative technologies, without forgetting, of course, the valuable contribution of artificial intelligence. According to UNDP researchers, the latter could help African nations identify every possible opportunity to generate added value to their mining extractions, thus avoiding stopping at the export of the raw resource and attempting to develop more advanced production methods capable of processing it locally, increasing its value.
AI, in this specific sector, can help operators through market analysis and demand forecasts for certain specific raw materials and through a general optimization of the supply chain. In Zambia, a local company has already used artificial intelligence to generate accurate geological maps, making discovering an important copper deposit possible.
According to the UNDP, focusing on innovation and supporting artificial intelligence could be one of the best methods to reach an ambitious goal, such as the local production of batteries made with locally mined minerals.
