2027 Agenda

The critical mineral that doesn’t need the energy transition, does it?

Most critical minerals rely on the energy transition to drive demand and attract investment. Manganese is different. Already essential to global steel production, it sits at the heart of industrialisation while also emerging as a key ingredient in next-generation battery technologies. As Africa accounts for the majority of global manganese supply and governments push for greater beneficiation, is manganese one of the few commodities positioned to benefit from both the old and new economies?

The big questions

• Does manganese need the battery story at all?
• Is steel demand being overlooked – especially in Africa?
• Will battery demand be transformational or incremental?
• Where will capital earn the strongest returns across manganese’s steel and battery markets?