Africa does not need help. Needs control of critical minerals. | Business and economics

US President Donald Trump has sent shock waves during the development industry, the decision to suspend Trump and USAID Agency. In 2024, one-third of $ 41 billion in the United States went to Africa, USA helps to support various sectors of healthcare and sewage.

However, as the sound signal calls and government officials are voiced over the programs hanging, Africa’s dependence on Africa’s foreign aid is not a necessity, not a choice. Our continent, the biggest reserves of many minerals that will strengthen the future are sitting in some of the world’s largest reserves, but we are trapped in the periods of help dependence. It’s time to change it.

Let’s be clear about the thing in the guest. The Democratic Republic of the Congo provides 70 percent of the world’s cobalt – the necessary intects in the batteries of electric vehicles. South Africa produces 75 percent of the world’s platinum and 50 percent of the palladium. Mozambique and Madagascar have some of the largest graphite fields on a global scale. There are the greatest deposits of the cesium, which is a critical metal used in Zimbabwe, GPS and 5G systems.

It is more than just rocks and metals, these are the keys to the global clean energy transition. Each electric vehicle, solar panel and wind turbine depends on the abundance of Africa.

Here, while asking for help from the same countries that earn a profit from our resources, the colonial-period exports raw materials as vassal. Maths are angry: Battery-grade processed materials are selling $ 150-200, we sell raw cobalts for $ 26-30. We provide more than 80 percent of the value chain of external processors and producers. This is not just a bad job – it is a violation of economic law.

The global battery market will reach $ 250 billion by 2030. The renewable energy sector, solar facilities are growing in the speed of 26 percent in the speed of 26 percent.

It is clear that Africa’s mineral resources represent the greatest economic opportunities for our generations. But instead of placing ourselves to capture this value, we argue how to patch the remaining holes by stopped help programs.

Critics will say that these minerals do not reach infrastructure, experience and capital to process ourselves. They are right – so far. However, we must direct our resources to invest in our investment and political will. The Chinese understood these decades ago, so they poured about $ 58 billion in order to ensure control of critical mineral supply chains throughout Africa. When you see the future, when filling out the forms of help.

Although difficult, the solution is not difficult. We must only build processing devices, not only extraction sites. We must simply build special economic zones on mineral benefits, not export terminals. We must invest in research and development facilities that may adapt and develop processing technologies. Most importantly, you need to think about the region and move.

Imagine, consider the initiative of the Union of South African development, where the countries practice to create pool resources and integrated value chains. An East African Unique land elements, framework of cooperation that turns our mineral resources to high-tech production opportunities. These are not pipe dreams – we continue our work every day as usual.

Environment critics will say that it is cultural dirty and destructive. They do not make a mistake about the risks, but they make mistakes on the solution. Answer should not put our minerals; It is to determine our high standards for sustainable production and processing. We can build a mining and processing industry that protects our environment and benefit our communities. Although we are engaged in the consequences of the alternative, we are watching alternative foreign companies.

Suspension of assistance has created a human suffering that cannot be ignored. HIV treatment programs, educational initiatives and food safety projects are all at risk. However, if these programs are important – and many of them – why should we depend on political whims to finance foreign governments? Once we have captured their full values, these programs will repeatedly repay these programs.

What we need now is political courage and purpose unity. We need leaders who can view the next election period and imagine an Africa that finances their development. We need work leaders who can build processing devices instead of export terminals. We need educational institutions that grow chemical engineering and metallurgists instead of assistance program managers.

The existing crisis must serve as a catalyst for transformation. Each hanger help dollar must handle us to capture ten-fold value from our minerals and strengthen our determination to build every diplomatic African solutions. The choice is clear: we can hold the future decades on the budgets or manage our fate with the strategic development of our mineral wealth.

It is time for Africa to become a production power plant from the world’s raw material. By turning our mineral wealth into a continuous welfare, we can help out of everything that everything will happen: unnecessary.

The views shown in this article are unique and definitely reflect the editorial position of Gazir.