India-Africa Business Conclave 2025: Joint Push on Critical Minerals to Drive Clean Energy and Inclusive Growth
At the 20th India-Africa Business Conclave organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Sevala Naik Mude, Joint Secretary (C&WA) at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, underlined the crucial role of India-Africa collaboration in harnessing critical minerals to power a sustainable future.
Speaking during a session on Harnessing Critical Minerals for a Sustainable Future, he emphasized that the partnership between the two regions has matured significantly over the last two decades, moving far beyond trade into deeper economic and industrial cooperation.
“Over the years, India-Africa relations have achieved several significant milestones,” Mude said. “Our trade, which stood at $30–35 billion in 2010–11, has now crossed the $100 billion mark – a remarkable feat that reflects the determination and entrepreneurship of businesses on both sides.”
Highlighting India’s growing role as a key economic partner, Mude noted that India is now the fifth-largest investor in Africa, with investments exceeding $80 billion. These span mining, manufacturing, value creation, and services.
He pointed to Nigeria, Mozambique, Morocco, Tunisia, and South Africa as leading destinations where Indian companies have helped build industries, generate local jobs, and support sustainable growth.
Recognizing Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals—essential for the global clean energy transition—Mude stressed that these resources “belong first and foremost to Africa.” India’s approach, he said, is collaborative rather than extractive, with a focus on local value addition, industrial development, and socio-economic empowerment.
“The real opportunity lies not in simply extracting and exporting minerals, but in joint exploration, production, and value addition within Africa itself,” he said. “We must pursue a partnership model where Africa’s mineral wealth is transformed into industrial power, ensuring inclusive and sustainable prosperity.”
India has already taken steps in this direction by granting preferential access to African exports—both processed and unprocessed—through its duty-free tariff preference scheme. However, Mude urged that the focus must go further, toward joint ventures, local processing facilities, and long-term industrial partnerships.
A cornerstone of this cooperation, Mude emphasized, is human capital development. “Investment alone is not enough; we must also invest in people,” he said. India has been sharing its expertise through training, capacity building, and technical cooperation.
In the mining sector, skills development is particularly crucial, and India is committed to expanding training programs, knowledge transfer, and technology sharing to empower Africa’s youth to lead this transformation.
In closing, Mude called for India and Africa to pursue a common vision. “By sharing best practices, harmonizing policies, and developing industries and skills, we can harness Africa’s critical minerals not only to drive economic growth but also to build a sustainable and inclusive future,” he concluded.
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