Insights

Critical Minerals & Malawi

The global clean energy transition is rapidly reshaping demand for minerals that underpin renewable power, battery storage, electric mobility, electricity grids, and digital infrastructure. These critical minerals have moved from niche inputs to system-critical assets, influencing global trade, industrial policy, and energy security.

For Malawi, this shift creates a time-sensitive opportunity. The country holds geological potential in several minerals linked to global energy-transition and digital value chains, including graphite, rare earth elements, manganese, titanium minerals, silicon sands, and emerging lithium prospects. However, resource endowment alone does not guarantee development outcomes.

This learning series explores what critical minerals are, why they matter, and what Malawi’s role could be in evolving global value chains.