Circle
What Does It Take to Implement Africa-Europe Critical Minerals Partnerships?
Follow Up to The Africa Roundtable N°9
Circle: What Does It Take to Implement Africa-Europe Critical Minerals Partnerships?
March 26, 2026
Berlin
At the ninth edition of The Africa Roundtable on raw material partnerships, discussions made clear that Europe’s ambitions to secure access to critical minerals in Africa will remain difficult to achieve without stronger private sector engagement. In this follow-up Circle, participants worked to further refine and operationalize the resulting recommendations.
With around 30% of the world’s critical minerals located on the African continent, Africa is a key partner for Europe’s green and digital transition. While other actors, such as China, recognized this strategic importance early and invested accordingly, European engagement in energy and infrastructure projects has so far remained limited.
The focus now is on translating strategic interest into viable business cases. This will require greater private investment, reduced bureaucratic barriers, effective risk-sharing instruments, and a clear commitment to local value creation and sustainable standards.
Selected Speakers
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Contact Persons
Stephanie Igunbor, s.igunbor@globalperspectives.org
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Circle
We believe in proximity building trust. Our most personal format therefore offers the opportunity to deepen the knowledge of our high-ranking guests in a small circle, together with an exchange of experiences, in dialogue.
Program Archive
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Climate policy is security policy. We discussed how Europe can work with countries in the Global South to implement concrete measures that benefit both sides.
At the launch of the Alliance for Integrated Security, we discussed the current geopolitical challenges and identified potential areas of cooperation between Germany and the Global South.
As global conflicts increase and uncertainty rises, Europe and Germany must take greater responsibility for their future and adopt a broader approach to security.
In times of limited resources and geopolitical tension, multilateral institutions can maximize the impact of existing development funding.
Funding cuts are putting health systems across Africa under pressure. Collaboration with Germany and Europe can help strengthen healthcare in the long term.
This interview publication reviews the effects of recent cuts in reproductive health, presents practical options for funding and service delivery, and offers guidance for policymakers and investors.
Africa’s critical minerals are essential to Europe’s future, playing a significant role in the green transition and industrial competitiveness. The Follow-Up to the 9th edition of the Roundtable.









