Mali, Ghana or the DRC are home to lithium reserves that can be a game-changer for Africa

The growing demand for lithium is prompting many mining companies to take an interest in the planet's untapped reserves. If Africa still occupies a marginal place on a global scale, Mali, Ghana and the DRC are home to reserves that can change the situation.

In the DRC, Zijin Mining is active in copper mining in partnership with Ivanhoe Mines, and is embarking on lithium exploration. The Chinese mining company announced on January 24 the acquisition of two mining permits near the Manono project of the Australian AVZ Minerals.

Covering a total area of 435 km², the licenses are held through Katamba Mining, a joint venture with Congolese national company Cominière. Zijin Mining’s objective is to identify exploitable resources “in order to improve [its] competitiveness in new energy minerals”.

Used mainly in the production of batteries, in particular those of electric vehicles, lithium is increasingly sought after, like copper. If the DRC dominates the African production of the red metal and should soon be one of the top three producers in the world, the Central African country is still behind with regard to lithium.

Alongside Mali, Ghana or Zimbabwe, the country nevertheless has great ambitions for this metal of the future and, in the medium term, can already count on the Manono project to become a lithium producer.