Why Africa should refine its minerals

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Excavators and drillers work at one of the world's largest copper and cobalt deposits, Tenke Fungurume, in Congo on January 29, 2013. 

Photo credit: Reuters

Africa could refine crucial minerals like lithium, nickel, manganese, and copper at up to 40 per cent lower costs than competitors worldwide by 2030, according to a new study.

This cost advantage, the findings show, could present an opportunity for the continent to capture a greater share of the global battery and renewable energy markets, playing back into the global supply chains as the world moves to green energy.