Zimbabwe to benefit from US$17 million SADC green mining initiative

Sifelani Tsiko

Fact Check Editor

ZIMBABWE is set to benefit from a US$17,4 million UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) regional project that aims to promote the decarbonisation of mining activities and renewable energy transition within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The ECA launched the project titled: ‘Fostering Environmentally and Socially Responsible, Decarbonised, Inclusive and Transformative Value Chains for Critical Energy Transition Minerals in the SADC Region,’ in Lusaka, Zambia, recently.

This five – year project, running from 2026 to 2031, will be implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The ECA said it seeks to support sustainable industrialisation, value addition, job creation and environmental protection in the region’s growing critical minerals sector.

The major focus will be on decarbonising mining activities that are vital to the energy transition, as well as finding ways to reduce emissions from fossil-dependent mining operations.

“This project reflects our shared commitment towards strengthening regional cooperation and leveraging the comparative advantages of our member states within the context of industrialisation and the clean energy transition,” said ECA Southern Africa regional director Eunice Kamwendo.

“As many of you may know, this initiative builds on ongoing efforts across the region and Africa-wide to promote value addition, responsible mining practices, and inclusive participation in the development of energy transition mineral value chains to support economic transformation, decarbonization, job creation, and long-term resilience.”

Mining is a major economic activity within the SADC region, and experts say it contributes between 7 percent and over 25 percent of GDP in countries such as South Africa, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This sector also accounts for the bulk of foreign exchange earnings in this 16-member regional bloc.

Countries such as Zimbabwe are key players in lithium production, while Mozambique and Namibia continue to expand their roles in supplying graphite, uranium, and other critical minerals, and South Africa is a key manganese and platinum group metals producer.

Kamwendo said the project is aligned with several continental and international frameworks, including the African Mining Vision, the Africa Green Minerals Strategy, the SADC Regional Mining Vision and recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.

Speaking at the same event, Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Permanent Secretary Dr Douty Chibamba said the project came at a critical time as demand for copper, cobalt, lithium, manganese and nickel continued to rise owing to expanding renewable-energy technologies, electric mobility, battery storage and low-carbon industrial systems.

“For the SADC region, this presents an important opportunity to move beyond raw material exports and position the region as the centre for value addition, green industrialisation, innovation and decent job creation,” he said.

Across the SADC region, many mine sites are often in remote areas, disconnected from national electricity grids and there is a growing need to install solar power or other forms of renewable energy as an alternative to diesel generators.

Mining experts say decarbonisation in the mining sector is no longer just an environmental or compliance initiative but a fundamental business strategy to attract investment, reduce carbon penalties and meet global climate commitments.

Mining companies within the SADC region are now facing mounting pressure to procure baseload power from a solar and storage system built and operated on renewable energy systems.

The companies typically rely on highly polluting and carbon-intensive diesel generators to power their operations.

Going green is far from easy in one of the world’s most polluting industries, but the ECA believes this new initiative will be a key part of the solution.

This project is being implemented by a consortium led by ECA and the African Minerals Development Centre, Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, strategy advisory company Project Consult, university-affiliated research consultancy Wits Enterprise and nongovernmental organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Germany, together with regional partners.