Zambia and South Africa are emerging as leaders in clean energy research, driven by their rich mineral resources and growing innovation ecosystems.
Both countries are investing in research centers, tech hubs, and policy initiatives to support the development of mining technologies and drive the clean energy transition.
Africa holds over 30% of the world’s known reserves of critical transition minerals, but the continent remains largely excluded from the global mining innovation ecosystem.
Zambia’s Copperbelt region is a hub for copper supply, and the country is now launching research centers and innovation hubs to support local value addition and downstream processing.
South Africa boasts a more mature research ecosystem, with institutions like the Mandela Mining Precinct and the University of Pretoria’s Mining Resilience Research Centre.
However, both countries face challenges in moving innovations from lab to market, including risk-averse procurement and limited funding for startups.
