Africa–Europe high-level roundtable on transition minerals

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BACKGROUND

On 24–25 November 2025, leaders from across the African Union and the European Union will convene in Luanda, Angola, for the 7th AU–EU Summit.

As 2025 marks 25 years of Africa–Europe cooperation, the Summit comes at a moment when transition minerals are increasingly shaping cross-continental priorities — driving the EU’s competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and triple transitions (green, digital, defence), while supporting Africa’s ambitions for economic transformation, regional integration, and local value addition.

Against this backdrop, the Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) will host, with the strategic support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), an Africa-Europe High-level Roundtable on Transition Minerals, informed by its latest AEF-led Strategic and Economic Case Paper to Strengthen Africa-Europe Cooperation and Investment on Transition Minerals.

The Roundtable will provide a platform to discuss capital flows and strategic investment opportunities in African transition minerals value chains, drawing on the insights of experts and practitioners. The discussion will focus on strengthening Africa-Europe cooperation on Transition Minerals, identifying concrete pathways to mobilize both capital and corporate engagement, and supporting EU-Africa Strategic Partnerships and EU-CRMA Projects. Participants will explore how to, accelerate value-chain development, and foster mutually beneficial partnerships, paving the way for a new generation of Africa–Europe investment collaborations in the transition minerals sector.

The meeting will serve as critical milestone on the #RoadtoLuanda25 and the 7th AU-EU Heads of State Summit, an AEF-led cross-continental initiative advancing fresh policy ideas and bold investment initiatives to realise the two continents’ competitive interdependence and revamp the Africa-Europe Partnership.

CONTEXT

As Africa and Europe mark 25 years of partnership, both the AU and EU reaffirm their shared commitment to cooperation on transition minerals. These resources are increasingly central to Africa’s industrialisation and prosperity, as well as to Europe’s competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and triple transitions (green, digital, defence). The upcoming 7th AU–EU Summit in Luanda offers a timely opportunity to advance a more strategic and mutually beneficial partnership.

Despite rising recognition of their importance, investment in transition minerals (critical for Europe) across Africa remains modest. Existing projects, partnerships, and financing initiatives fall well short of the scale needed to develop resilient value chains from extraction through to manufacturing. Infrastructure gaps, limited financing instruments, and governance challenges continue to hinder regional integration, and local value addition and beneficiation.

Africa and Europe must move towards a new paradigm that aligns Europe’s need for supply security with Africa’s ambitions for beneficiation, green industrialisation, and economic transformation. This requires moving beyond raw material extraction towards investment in processing, manufacturing, skills development, and innovation. Integrated infrastructure, strong institutional frameworks, and robust governance—covering transparency, ESG standards, traceability, and risk-sharing—are also essential to build trust and resilience.

Innovative financing mechanisms can unlock the next phase of cooperation. Proposals such as the Venture Capital Fund (VCF) under the Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), if supported by the EU and institutional finance, could crowd in private capital and align Europe’s capital stack with Africa’s natural endowment. Furthermore, by scaling joint investments through national or regional Mineral Value Chain Venture Capital Funds (MVC VCFs), focused on specific minerals and value chains, and by strengthening governance and stimulating industrial demand, the Africa–Europe partnership can move from policy commitments to concrete action, driving shared prosperity and advancing the global green transition.

ROUNDTABLE DESCRIPTION

The 90-minute roundtable will be highly interactive, providing opportunities for invited participants to engage throughout the session and share their perspectives on investment opportunities and challenges.

Held on the sidelines of the 7th AU–EU Heads of State Summit, this High-Level Roundtable on Transition Minerals will convene prominent figures from Africa and Europe, including policymakers, project implementers and financiers.

Designed to inform and guide both policy and financial decision-makers, the roundtable will generate insights and recommendations on how to mobilise capital and strengthen Africa–Europe partnerships around priority transformative projects.

The meeting will be closed-door and by invitation only, providing a space for candid and open discussion. Participants are encouraged to speak freely, ensuring a frank, off-script dialogue on how to advance investment-ready projects and create mutually beneficial opportunities across Africa and Europe.