
Century-Old South African Smelter Nears Closure Over Power Price, Risking 350 Jobs
South African smelter tariff costs have risen over 900% since 2008, pushing a century-old ferrochrome plant toward closure and putting...
August 11, 2026Africa holds the minerals the energy transition cannot happen without: more than two-thirds of the world’s cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, vast copper in the DRC and Zambia, lithium in Zimbabwe, plus manganese, graphite and the rare earths every great power now wants to control. The Rio Times tracks the mines, deals, export rules and the contest among China, the US and the Gulf for Africa’s critical-minerals supply chain – and what it means for resource-rich Latin America, which faces the same price-taker-or-leverage choice. This hub gathers our coverage of Africa’s minerals economy.

South African smelter tariff costs have risen over 900% since 2008, pushing a century-old ferrochrome plant toward closure and putting...
August 11, 2026
The US Senate backed the AGOA extension through 31 December 2028, moving to restore three years of trade certainty for...
August 11, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief for August 10: DR Congo is testing its cobalt exports for uranium after an investigation alleged thousands...
August 10, 2026
Seriti Green’s first 155 MW wind phase entered operation in August 2026 as part of a R25 billion project, signalling...
August 10, 2026
Madagascar's High Constitutional Court validated Law No. 2026-007 on 3 August 2026, transferring colonial-era foreign land titles to the state...
August 10, 2026
Guinea has banned raw gold exports and now requires local refining before shipment, with a 90-day transition period ending 6...
August 10, 2026
Senegal and Benin have transposed the new Uniform Banking Law while six other UMOA member states lag behind, creating uneven...
August 9, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief August 8: two anti-gang officers killed near Johannesburg, the DA opens its election campaign, and WAFCON quarter-finals...
August 8, 2026
Guinea signed a mining convention with state-owned Nimba Mining Company on 6 August, with Glencore as offtaker. A structural headwind...
August 8, 2026Brazil runoff date: Sunday, October 25, poll closing times and when results start · Brazil runoff polls: Flávio 51%, Lula 49% · Kalshi and Polymarket odds