Sub-Saharan Africa is on track to claim over 10% of an estimated $16 trillion in global mineral revenues over the next 25 years, according to Alhaji Mustapha Turay, Chairman of Sierra Leone’s National Minerals Agency (NMA).

Speaking at the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum’s first ministerial conference, Turay underscored the enormous potential for economic growth driven by Africa’s abundant reserves of critical minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium.

With about 30% of the world’s proven reserves of critical minerals, sub-Saharan Africa is positioned to lead in the global shift to clean energy. As demand for sustainable technologies like electric vehicles and solar power grows, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that demand lithium will increase tenfold, while demand for nickel and cobalt will rise two- to threefold by 2050. Turay believes that if Africa manages this transition strategically, the region could see its GDP increase by over 12% by mid-century.