NAIROBI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday unveiled the continent's green minerals strategy to leverage resources for revenue generation and sustainable growth in countries where minerals are mined.
Marit Kitaw, interim director of the African Minerals Development Center, an AU-specialized agency dedicated to minerals for sustainable development in Africa, said the strategic plan aims to create socio-economic development in line with the principles of the Africa Mining Vision.
"The strategy seeks to reshape mineral value chains by utilizing mineral resources for in-continent manufacturing of essential products, moving beyond raw material exports," Kitaw said during a high-level session of the Africa Climate Summit held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
Kitaw said the strategy will lead to transforming the continent's minerals-based industrialization for job creation and shape Africa's future amid global shifts.
Africa is endowed with strategic green minerals that are crucial for energy transition and green industries such as solar panels, wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries, said Kitaw, adding that the strategy is expected to be finally approved in October.
Antonio Pedro, acting executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, urged African countries that are endowed with minerals to strengthen their capacity for resource identification through geological surveys. ■
