An EU-Africa Partnership for the world.

Lithium can contribute to countries economic development via a positive impact based on new value creation, in the form of increased output, exports, employment, and tax revenue.

Lithium is a crucial element in the transition to a carbon-free world. Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in many applications, from energy storage to air mobility, and are a key technology for decarbonizing transportation and storing energy generated from renewable sources.

Lithium is shifting to global markets, and countries with abundant deposits are positioning themselves to take advantage of the growing demand.

The demand for lithium has been increasing rapidly, and it is expected to continue to grow. A recent McKinsey report shows that batteries will account for 95 percent of lithium demand by 2030, with total demand increasing by 25-26 percent annually.

There are concerns that there will be insufficient resources to meet the increasing demand for lithium. While other lithium miners are ramping up production to meet demand, it is important to ensure that it is done in a way that prioritizes environmental and social responsibility.

 Rare earth elements (REEs) represent a group of 17 metallic elements that are essential components of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, from high-tech consumer products to defence applications, including electronic displays, guidance systems, lasers, and radar and sonar systems. 

Although the elements themselves are actually quite abundant, they are very difficult to mine, due to the low concentrations in which they are fount in the earth's crust. The most abundant rare earth elements are cerium, yttrium, and lanthanum

 REEs are not actually that rare, but their importance to almost all modern technologies cannot be overstated. They are instrumental for the current energy transition - including wind turbines, electric vehicles and solar panels, as well as all common consumer electronics. 

The importance of REEs is likely to remain an essential part of our future, from quantum computing and material sciences to medical applications and advances in technology - which is why we are looking to diversify at Africa Horizon.

The world's top three producing nations control well over three-quarters of global output, with China being the largest producer of REEs, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

 Geologically speaking,  the chemical properties of the rare earth elements make them difficult to separate from surrounding materials and from one another. These qualities also make them difficult to purify. Current production methods require a lot of ore and generate a great deal of harmful waste to extract just small amounts of rare earth metals. Waste from the processing methods include radioactive water, toxic fluorine, and acids.

At Africa Horizon, we are developing projects that will help build sustainable practices from the beginning, ensuring a greener supply chain for Africa, the EU and the US.