Europe’s approach to securing critical raw materials (CRMs) is entering a transformative phase, one that extends beyond supply security or cost-efficiency. The January 2026 study Win-Win Partnerships for Critical Raw Materials: Advancing Europe–West Africa Cooperation presents a comprehensive framework for building resilient CRM supply chains while simultaneously promoting sustainable development in West Africa. The report argues that the current geopolitical and industrial moment demands strategic realignment between European end-users and resource-rich African states, moving away from extractive models that prioritize short-term exports over shared growth.
Critical Raw Materials: Strategic Enablers of Europe’s Green and Digital Future
CRMs—lithium, cobalt, graphite, rare earths, gallium, germanium, copper, nickel—are no longer niche inputs. They are essential to Europe’s clean energy transition, advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and defence capabilities. Yet supply chains remain highly concentrated, particularly in China, which dominates mining, processing, and downstream production. This concentration exposes Europe to export controls, pricing pressure, and geopolitical leverage, highlighting the need for diversified, resilient, and transparent supply chains.
West Africa emerges not merely as a supplier of raw inputs but as a strategic partner. Countries with a long history of extractive industries are seeking to capture greater domestic value through local processing, infrastructure development, job creation, and fiscal stability. Europe’s industrial and security objectives align closely with these ambitions, creating opportunities for mutually beneficial CRM partnerships.
Benefit-Sharing as the Core Principle
A central insight of the report is that future CRM cooperation must be built around comprehensive benefit-sharing. Beyond royalties and taxes, this includes:
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Local processing and refining
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Skills development and workforce training
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Infrastructure investments
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Environmental protection and ESG compliance
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Community engagement and institutional strengthening
Unlike traditional extractive models, CRMs are now politicized commodities, shaped by climate policy, industrial strategy, and geopolitical competition. Partnerships must therefore be deliberate, transparent, and development-focused, integrating both private sector interests and governmental oversight on both sides.
Currently, African countries capture only about 40% of the economic value generated by their CRMs. Most value is lost during processing and manufacturing, often taking place abroad. Weak fiscal regimes, governance challenges, and dominance of foreign operators exacerbate this imbalance. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), while crucial for livelihoods, is frequently informal, environmentally damaging, and susceptible to criminal exploitation. Any credible partnership must address both industrial-scale and ASM sectors.
Priority West African Partners
The study identifies Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire as high-potential partners for Europe, based on mineral potential, diplomatic alignment, and openness to reform:
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Ghana: Already a major gold producer, Ghana is pivoting to lithium, manganese, and bauxite. Opportunities for Europe include lithium processing, downstream manufacturing, and CRM exploration. Chinese and Emirati dominance in processing highlights the need for European strategic engagement.
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Senegal: Politically stable with established phosphate and heavy-mineral industries, Senegal faces limited geological data for CRM. European cooperation could focus on geological surveying, regulatory enforcement, and infrastructure development.
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Nigeria: Dominated by ASM (up to 90% of output), Nigeria grapples with informality, environmental damage, and security concerns. Recent policies promoting domestic value addition open opportunities for Europe to support processing, ASM formalization, and integration into European industrial chains.
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Côte d’Ivoire: Combining industrial mining growth with a large ASM workforce, the country is exploring lithium, nickel-cobalt, and rare earths. European engagement could target workforce training, ASM formalization, and technical infrastructure support.
Across all four countries, Europe’s current presence in CRMs is limited compared to competitors like China. European development policy often focuses on governance, security, and social sectors, leaving CRM engagement fragmented and insufficiently strategic.
Strategic Recommendations
The report proposes several key actions for Europe:
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Country-specific CRM strategies: Align European industrial needs with partner-country development priorities.
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Integration with existing programs: Embed CRM objectives into development, security, and infrastructure initiatives rather than pursuing standalone mining agendas.
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Leverage Europe’s advantages: Utilize advanced processing technologies, chemical and metallurgical clusters, ESG standards, financing tools, and regulatory expertise.
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Promote regional cooperation: CRM belts often cross national borders; regional frameworks like ECOWAS can enhance bargaining power, harmonize standards, and curb illegal mining.
A Blueprint for Strategic, Sustainable Cooperation
CRMs are not just commodities—they are foundational to Europe’s green and digital ambitions. Effective partnerships with West Africa could simultaneously strengthen supply security, foster industrial development, and create long-term value on both continents. Failure to engage risks not only supply insecurity but also ceding influence over future CRM value chains.
If Europe succeeds, CRM cooperation could redefine Europe–Africa relations, linking climate and industrial policy with tangible development outcomes, shared prosperity, and greater strategic autonomy.
Win-Win Partnerships for Critical Raw Materials positions European-West African collaboration as more than a mining strategy—it is a strategic blueprint for sustainable, mutually beneficial industrial transformation.
