Critical Minerals: The World Wants Them, But Who Can Process Them?

The world is scrambling for critical minerals. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, data centres and the energy transition is driving unprecedented demand for copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements. Governments are responding with a flurry of international agreements designed to secure supplies and reduce dependence on increasingly vulnerable mineral supply chains.

A recent Global Trade Review article, drawing on research by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, highlights the scale of this activity. Of 211 trade and economic agreements signed between January 2025 and September 2026, 139 involved critical raw materials, spanning 79 countries and blocs. Significantly, many of these agreements seek not simply to secure mineral supplies, but also to encourage local processing, skills development and greater participation in mineral value chains.

This is particularly important for mineral-rich countries in Africa, which have long exported ores and concentrates while much of the processing and economic value has been realised elsewhere. The current critical minerals boom offers an opportunity to change this, but it will require more than political agreements and investment. It will require the development of processing expertise and technology capable of turning increasingly complex mineral resources into valuable products.

And this is where mineral processing becomes so important. Many critical minerals occur in low concentrations, in complex mineral associations, or as by-products of other mining operations. Their economic recovery depends on advances in mineral liberation, flotation, physical separation, hydrometallurgy and process mineralogy. Increasingly, artificial intelligence and digital technologies are also helping to optimise processing operations and improve resource efficiency.

The challenge is not simply to find more critical minerals, but to recover them more efficiently, sustainably and economically.

This is why the international mineral processing community has such an important role to play. MEI Conferences bring together researchers, academics, mining companies and technology developers to share advances, discuss challenges and explore new opportunities. Conferences covering flotation, physical separation, comminution, process mineralogy, hydrometallurgy and AI in mineral processing provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas that can ultimately translate into improved industrial performance.

As countries seek to develop their own critical mineral value chains, these international forums also offer valuable opportunities for collaboration, capacity building and the development of technical expertise.

The critical minerals boom is often portrayed as a geopolitical contest for access to resources. But there is another, equally important contest underway: the race to develop the technologies and expertise needed to process them. The world may be negotiating for critical minerals, but it is mineral processing that will ultimately unlock their value. And this makes it an exciting time to be involved in mineral processing.

These issues will be very much in the spotlight at Critical Minerals '26: Processing & Recycling, taking place at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town on 19–20 November. The conference brings together an international community of researchers and industry professionals to explore innovative approaches to processing and recycling critical minerals.

With the conference now just one week away, this is your final call to register. Join us in Cape Town for two days of technical presentations, discussion and networking with the international mineral processing community.

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