Africa is one of the world's leading mining regions due to its diverse mineral resources. The continent draws interest for its gold deposits and critical minerals, but it also holds other rare and important metals.

Africa holds about 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves, according to the International Energy Agency, or IEA. This classification primarily includes metals essential for the energy transition, such as graphite, cobalt, and rare earths.

However, the continent also produces other less-known yet equally critical metals. These are important due to their geological scarcity or the geographic concentration of their global production. Here are three examples.

Pollucite: Zimbabwe in the lead in Africa

Pollucite is a rare crystalline mineral known as the world's primary source of cesium. Cesium itself is a strategic metal vital for high-tech applications, including atomic clocks and drilling fluids. It currently trades at 2,450 euros per ounce on the Shanghai Metal Exchange, or about $2,850. While Canada is considered the main supplier of pollucite, Zimbabwe recently joined that list.

Earlier this month, Chinese company Sinomine launched Zimbabwe’s, and by extension Africa’s, first commercial pollucite plant. The facility can produce between 150 and 300 metric tons per month. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, global reserves of this mineral were estimated at under 200,000 metric tons in 2023, located in Australia, Canada, China, and Namibia.

Ruthenium: the sixth rarest metal in the world

Ruthenium is a silver gray metal mainly derived from platinum group metals, or PGMs. Valued for its hardness, it is used in electronics, energy storage, and chemical manufacturing. Produced in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Russia, it is notably cited as the sixth rarest metal in the world. It is currently gaining attention due to a sharp price increase.

According to refiner Johnson Matthey, ruthenium’s price has nearly doubled since 2024, now reaching $800 per ounce. This is close to its all time high of $870 reached 18 years ago. Analyst Sandeep Kaler, as reported by Bloomberg, noted that this surge is driven by demand from the artificial intelligence sector, which is expected to continue fueling price increases.

Germanium: a strategic metal for Africa

Like ruthenium, germanium is recovered as a byproduct of PGMs, and also from zinc. Though less rare, it is a strategic metal for which China controls 60% of global supply. Africa is one of the main alternative production hubs, particularly in South Africa and, more recently, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2024, the former Zaire exported germanium for the first time from the hydrometallurgical plant built by the Congolese company STL, Société congolaise pour le traitement du terril de Lubumbashi. This milestone allows the Central African country to supply a product mainly used for its electronic and optical properties, particularly in telecoms, defense, and semiconductors. According to Belgian company Umicore, germanium is currently priced at $820 per ounce.

Scarcity, a double-edged sword?

While the low abundance of these various metals may benefit their producers, especially in Africa, this characteristic can also limit their appeal. It may drive consumers to seek more accessible alternatives. The USGS specifically makes this observation regarding cesium from pollucite.

The agency explained that, except for cesium formate, cesium is used in relatively small-scale applications, most of which require only a few grams. Due to the lack of global availability of cesium, many applications resort to mineral substitutes, and its use, in any case, may no longer be viable.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou