Strategic minerals, strategic futures: Africa at the heart of shifting global security
When: 23 October 2025 | 15:20 - 16:30
Format: Breakout session
For in-person participants, please register for the session via the conference app. You can access your profile here.
Hosted by the European Council on Foreign Relations – Africa Programme
As the global race for clean technologies intensifies – spanning energy, defense and digital sectors – Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals have become a geopolitical flashpoint. International powers are recalibrating their Africa strategies, intensifying competition across the continent. This breakout session examines how this renewed interest is reshaping Africa’s role in the global security landscape – and the space left for Europe in an increasingly crowded field. From foreign investment to great-power rivalry, we’ll explore the risks and opportunities at the nexus of resource governance, security, and strategic autonomy. With multilateral governance under pressure, how can rules, standards, and partnerships remain credible and effective, and what strategies can Africa and its partners deploy to ensure secure and resilient supply chains?
Speakers:
- Mauricio Angelo, Founder, The Mining Observatory
- Winnie Natala Chibesakunda, Ambassador, Embassy of Zambia in Germany
- Maria de Lourdes Caposso Fernandes, Member of the Parliament of Angola, National Assembly of Angola
- Dr Stefan Steinicke, Advisor International Cooperation Security Raw Materials and Space Travel, German Industry Association (BDI)
- Ferre Westermann, Counsellor - Global Relations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Moderated by Dr Maddalena Procopio, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
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