EU-Africa Strategic Corridors to a mutually beneficial cooperation for critical raw materials

The global race is on to secure the raw materials necessary for the green & digital transition. On the one side, minerals-user countries are multiplying their efforts to promote secure and robust critical minerals supply chains. On the other side, local governments find themselves at the centre of this global rush on minerals. They must assess a growing number of requests for mineral exploration and mining projects, weighing the promise of economic development and job creation against risks to ecosystems and local communities. The EU-Africa Strategic Corridors  in the context of the Global Gateway  framework  and more recently the Lobito Corridor , the latter strongly supported by the Italian government in the context of Piano Mattei ,  provide good examples of how to steer investment with mutal benefits. This session, organized by the ECOMONDO Scientific Committee, the University of Torino, the European Commission JRC, MASE and MIMIT brings together key players, including government representatives, the geological surveys, research bodies and industry to discuss what is mutually beneficial, for whom, why and how. Equally, the session aims to discuss the role of knowledge (and of knowledge-platforms like the EC’s Raw Materials Information System) to steer strategic thinking and factual decision-making.

Keywords: Critical Raw Materials, Resource corridors, Strategic value chains, mutually beneficial cooperation

Session Chairs

Gian Andrea Blengini, University of Turin 
Serenella Sala, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Representative of Ministry of Environment and Energy Security
Alberto Castronovo, Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (TBC)

Program 

10.30 Introduction by the Chairs

10.40 The Global Gateway: a mutually beneficial EU-Africa cooperation on CRMs
Isabelle Magne and Elisabetta Sartorel, DG-INTPA

10.55 Major developments from Piano Mattei and Strategic projects under CRM Act
TBC, Ministry of Environment and Energy Security  

11.10 CRM projects supported by the National Fund for Made in Italy
Alberto Castronovo, MIMIT  

11.25 Glencore investments and partnerships in Africa
Vincenzo Conforti, Glencore  

11.35 Innovation in CRM technologies and products
Ivano Menso, Minerali Industriali  

11.45 Italy-Africa cooperation in CRM projects in support of aerospace and defense 
Umberto Tavolato, Fondazione MedOR and representative of Leonardo SpA (TBC)

11.55 Strengthening the knowledge-base on EU-Africa cooperation for CRM data with the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS)
Simone Manfredi, JRC  

12.05 EU-Africa-Italy cooperation for Geospatial data through the OECD Geospatial Lab
Claudia Baranzelli, OECD  

12.15 EU Africa Cooperation Project PanAfGeo+ (2025–2029)  (programme aimed at strengthening geoscientific capacities across Africa)
Daniele Spizzichino or Fiorenzo Fumanti, ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)

Discussion and closure by the Chairs