OPIS Insights

Africa’s resurgence of resource nationalism is gathering pace as governments seek greater value from their mineral endowments, led by Gabon’s decision to ban raw manganese exports by 2029 and Zimbabwe’s tightening curbs on chrome ore.

Gabon, one of the world’s largest manganese producers, has said it will halt shipments of unprocessed ore from January 2029, compelling miners to add value domestically.

French miner Eramet, which controls Comilog, the operator of Gabon’s giant Moanda deposit, acknowledged the plan in June and said it would work “in a spirit of constructive partnership” with authorities. The move aligns with President Brice Oligui Nguema’s push to industrialize and capture more revenue onshore from a mineral used in steel and increasingly in batteries.

Zimbabwe offers a cautionary—and evolving—case study. After first banning raw chrome ore exports in 2011, Harare lifted the measure in 2015, then reimposed a prohibition in August 2021 and extended restrictions to chrome concentrates in 2022, aiming to revive domestic ferrochrome smelting. The policy reflects a broader import-substitution drive that has also targeted lithium, though officials have periodically adjusted rules and licensing to balance investment needs with beneficiation goals. Analysts note mixed results so far: output volatility, policy uncertainty for investors, and only gradual growth in local processing capacity.

Together, the measures underscore a continental trend toward capturing more of the minerals value chain at home. South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are also part of this re-emerging resource nationalism trend.

For Gabon, the four-year runway to 2029 gives time to expand power, rail and smelting capacity; for companies, it raises capital needs but could deepen local partnerships if incentives and infrastructure keep pace.

In Zimbabwe, the chrome restrictions continue to test whether protection can sustainably channel ore toward domestic furnaces without choking mine economics. The outcomes will reverberate beyond Africa: China’s stainless steel sector relies on African chrome, while global steelmakers—and battery supply chains—watch how new processing hubs reshape trade flows and pricing power.

Africa’s beneficiation plans take center stage at the McCloskey Steel & Ferroalloys Conference in Cape Town on February 2-4, 2026, with Gabon’s Mining Minister Gilles Nembe, Zimbabwe’s Minerals Marketing Corp CEO Nomsa Moyo and South Africa’s Ferro Alloys Producers Association Nellis Bester among the headline speakers.