EU Eyes Africa’s Minerals, Renewable Energy in N
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The European Union (EU) is looking to build a collaboration with two African nations to gain a secure line to the continent’s rich reserves of minerals. With the EU adopting electrification and clean energy, there is a massive need for critical raw materials to be available in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
As such, the European Commission is set to invest in processing facilities in South Africa and transport links to the DRC to ensure it has enough raw materials to support the EU’s transition to green energy and sustainable infrastructure. To that end, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently traveled on a diplomatic mission to Cape Town, South Africa, to begin negotiations on the first-ever Clean Trade and Investment Partnership.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and EU Council President António Costa also attended the talks. According to von der Leyen, South Africa has everything it needs to become a world leader. She noted the country’s abundant wind and solar energy capacity and the presence of the raw materials required for electrolysis (to produce clean hydrogen).
She announced that the EU would invest $5 billion via the Global Gateway scheme, similar to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, to boost energy, transport, and digital industries and strengthen research systems across the world.
President Ramaphosa said the European financing would be invested in critical raw material processing while von der Leyen stressed that South Africa should retain most of the value and economic benefits availed by the financing. Green hydrogen, for instance, is one of the South African government’s green energy targets and is set to be a major export for the country, especially with the new financing allowing South Africa to increase its green hydrogen production capacity significantly.
In addition to green hydrogen, President Ramaphosa said other types of renewable energy, digital and transport infrastructure, and vaccine production would also benefit from the financing. The EU Commission president, on the other hand, discussed building a rail between the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa to provide easy transportation of key minerals such as cobalt from DR Congo.
She said the EU would invest in the development of transport corridors between the two countries to enable port and railway infrastructure upgrades. The DRC has among the largest reserves of critical minerals on the globe but has been unable to monetize them due to decades of internal conflict. Tapping into its vast mineral reserve would provide the EU with more than enough raw materials to electrify and adopt clean energy.
As the demand for green energy minerals heats up, entities like Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) are well positioned to command increasing investor attention in the coming years.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/RFLXF
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