New Spaces for Change at the Resource Frontier? The Case of Manganese Mining in Africa

Like many critical minerals that are currently driving the green energy transition, manganese has multiple end-uses that pre-date its fundamental role in EV battery production. However, the increased demand due to the ‘green energy transition’ has intensified strategic competition for this critical mineral, increasing the policy choices for manganese exporting countries and thus helping to fuel a resurgence of resource nationalism. This chapter argues that it is also promoting a form of resource regionalism. However, the perennial question of qui bono confronts both of these tendencies as neither automatically guarantees internal equitable distribution of the associated benefits. The chapter also highlights significant difficulties in promoting resource nationalism/regionalism when challenged by national and transnational capital interests. Finally, although much progress has been made in relation to ESGs, this progress is variegated and there is still much work to be done in this area.