Africa asserts mineral sovereignty through Marrakech Declaration on critical metals

Africa has taken decisive steps to reclaim control over value creation from its natural resources as global demand for critical metals accelerates. The Marrakech Declaration adopted by Morocco’s International Mining Congress, held Nov. 24 -26, marks a strategic milestone in continental resource governance.

The energy transition narrative long focused on replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources has fundamentally shifted. Today’s reorganization of energy systems increasingly depends on specific periodic table elements including copper, nickel, lithium, and cobalt, essential for low-carbon technologies from electric vehicles to data centers.

Critical metals have become the “nerve center” of energy system transformation, reshaping 21st-century geopolitical balances. Against this backdrop, Morocco’s International Mining Congress and the resulting Marrakech Declaration establish political and technical frameworks transforming assumed dependency into sovereignty leverage.

Morocco occupies a significant role, steering several structural initiatives from the Origination-Transit-Certification corridor (OTC) to the African Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework aimed at governing continental mining operations. Energy Transition Minister Leila Benali emphasized that “Africa, holder of minerals that have become indispensable for energy and digital transition, finds itself at the heart of an industrial challenge that far exceeds its historical role as raw material supplier.” AMSG)

The Marrakech Declaration, described as a “founding act,” marks Africa’s entry into a new era of mineral sovereignty. It formally adopts the African ESG Framework, designed to address limitations of international standards considered poorly adapted to continental realities.

The AFRICA principles—Accountability, Equity, Resilience, Inclusion, Cooperation, Added Value—provide foundations for facilitating sustainable financing access, strengthening investor confidence, and directing local transformation.

A digital platform hosted in Morocco will support African ESG framework implementation, coordinating certifications and connecting producers with responsible buyers, enabling Africa to retain substantially more value created from its resources.

On the sidelines of the congress, Morocco reached another milestone, formalizing a strategic partnership with Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) through a MoU between the Ministry of Energy Transition and the AMSG,

The MoU, initialed by Mrs Benali and AMSG Secretary General Moses Micheal, consolidates continental cooperation in a responsible and sustainable mining governance, provides for backing structural initiatives, on top of which the African ESG framework and The OTC Corridor, launched in December 2024 in Marrakech.

OTC Corridor, conceived as a shared regulatory space, aims to strengthen producer country credibility, secure flows, and reduce dependence on foreign certifications often disconnected from African realities.