By bringing together stakeholders from the private sector, policymaking and diplomatic circles as well as academia, the Critical Minerals Initiative (CMI) aims to foster relationships across goverment, business and research, and analyse the mining, refining and trade of critical minerals from a British foreign policy and development perspective, looking to support the building of prosperous and mutually beneficial cooperation between the United Kingdom and her partners in the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
The CMI was launched in November 2024, at the inaugural Africa-Middle East Critical Minerals Forum at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge. The Forum explored the synergies between the UK’s existing and potential future partners in Africa and the Middle East in the critical minerals sector, highlighting strategic investment opportunities, and identifying pathways for creating reliable and transparent supply chains while working towards net zero goals, sustainability, and responsible mining practices.
Through a series of sessions on specialized policy areas and geographies relevant in the sector, the CMI will strengthen networks among stakeholders, fostering future collaborations and partnerships, and provide policy recommendations for British, Middle Eastern and African policymakers to consider in their foreign economic and international development agendas.
