Critical minerals and energy will drive EU-Africa partnership
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Critical minerals and energy will drive EU-Africa partnership
Exploration, mining and energy will be critical for Africa’s growth in 2026.
Amidst renewed global turmoil and unpredictable geopolitics, WhyAfrica will be keeping a close eye on partnerships between European countries and Africa in 2026.
Mining, energy, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism will continue to play a central role in relations between Europe and Africa.
European countries need stable supply chains, reliable access to raw materials and energy alternatives and Africa needs capital, infrastructure, skills and jobs.
African countries with significant natural resources that can balance their resource abundance with policy certainty, political stability and administrative capacity will gain the most.
North Africa in the spotlight
Because of their geographic position, large ports and proximity to Europe, countries in North Africa are in the spotlight as stability returns to this part of the world.
Morocco’s stature continues to grow, and Egypt remains important strategically because of the Suez Canal, gas infrastructure and its role in regional security.
Algeria and Tunisia are talked about highly in Rome, and Italy’s relationship with these countries under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has improved substantially.
Stability in southern Africa
In southern Africa, political stability, the abundance of critical minerals and world class tourism attractions in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zambia continues to attract interest from European investors, as does the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Angola is back on the map as Europe looks at alternative sources of oil, gas and critical minerals.
In West Africa Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are well positioned in terms of energy, logistics and agri-processing.
Critical minerals take centre stage
African growth in 2026 is likely to be positive, driven by more investment linked to energy, mining, infrastructure and logistics.
Critical minerals are at the centre of the EU/Africa relationship. Europe is under pressure to secure lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite and Rare Earth Elements (REE) while reducing dependence on China and Russia.
Africa offers scale, but Europe will push harder for local processing, traceability and long-term offtake agreements.
This is important for the job market as demand will grow for engineers, geologists, project managers, environmental specialists, logistics professionals and skilled trades.
Renewable energy, mining services, infrastructure construction, ports, rail and power transmission will absorb talent. Compliance, ESG and supply-chain verification roles will also expand as European standards travel with European capital.
Read more about Africa’s natural resources and the growing relations between Europe and Africa on the WhyAfrica webiste, our quarterly magazines and bi-weekly newsletters.
WhyAfrica specialise in the sustainable use and responsible development of Africa’s natural resources.
Critical minerals and energy will drive EU-Africa partnership