India’s interests on critical minerals can align with African priorities to create win-win situation

India’s ambitious plans to transition to a sustainable and resilient energy future rely on its access to critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The country’s demand for critical minerals is projected to rise exponentially, almost fourfold by 2030.

Although its domestic reserves, including 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore, could help meet some of the demand, converting them into mineable resources will take time and will still fall short of achieving self-sufficiency. This presents New Delhi with two paths to tread simultaneously: one, to adopt policy reforms in the mining sector to boost exploration and mining domestically; the other, to engage proactively with mineral-rich geographies overseas—including Australia and countries in Africa and Latin America—to create secure supply chains.

The National Critical Minerals Mission, announced in January 2025, underscores the importance of acquiring critical mineral assets abroad, increasing trade and investments with resource-rich countries and entering into Critical Mineral Partnership Agreements. However, the document stops short of explaining how this can be accomplished in specific geographies.


India’s leading think tank CSEP on Wednesday launched a paper “India, Africa and Critical Minerals: Towards a Green Energy Partnership”, by Dr. Veda Vaidyanathan offers policy recommendations for an Indian critical minerals strategy in Africa. It aims to explain why, where, and how India can build strategic collaborations with mineral-rich countries in the region.

To arrive at this, the paper takes an unique approach and employs a comprehensive methodology including in-depth interviews and closed-door consultations with policymakers, industry experts, civil society representatives, and researchers. In a geopolitically charged and rapidly evolving critical minerals landscape, it identifies African priorities, highlights Indian interests, and finds synergies, presented as nine policy pathways.

“In an era that could be dominated by the geopolitics of a green energy transition, this study emphasises how recognizing African priorities and aligning Indian interests, far from being altruistic, would in fact support New Delhi’s ambitions to diversify and strengthen its critical mineral supply chains,” Vaidyanathan pointed out.

In the short term, the Government of India could consider the following steps: z Establish a task force composed of the existing Inter-Ministerial Group on Critical Minerals, industry experts, and scholars to draft a white paper. This document can explore at what stage large-, medium- and small-sized Indian companies can enter the mining value chain in different African countries, how they can navigate competitive landscapes, and offer ideas to offset risks, according to the paper.

Creating robust and credible India–Africa research frameworks can help identify gaps, opportunities, and necessary mitigation measures. Towards this effort, India can play a leading role in connecting research institutes and scholars, leveraging the knowledge networks it has built across partner nations, such as the ICT centres in Tanzania and Ghana, the paper further suggested.

In the long term the private sector can be mobilized to infuse capital into the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, claim new exploration licences, enter joint venture agreements, or set up refineries. Consider launching a “Critical Minerals Compact” with a focus on the SADC countries at the next India–Africa Forum Summit.

New Delhi’s role as one of the leading voices of the Global South and its unique position as a link between the developing and developed worlds enable it to imagine, craft, and lead global collaborations on responsible sourcing of critical minerals, the paper pointed out.