Title: Management of Africa’s Rare Earth Mining Sectors
Author/Institution: Danielle M. Garbarino – Master’s Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School
Publication Year: 2021
Critical Minerals and the New Resource Scramble
Garbarino’s thesis examines how African states are managing their emerging rare earth sectors amid intensifying global competition between the United States, China, and the European Union. She argues that while the continent’s mineral endowment positions it as a strategic supplier in the clean-energy transition, weak governance structures and limited institutional oversight continue to undermine equitable value capture. The research frames the “rare earth question” not only as an issue of market access but as a test of state legitimacy and policy coherence in translating extraction into development.
Methodological Approach and Comparative Findings
Drawing on case studies from South Africa and Zambia, Garbarino employs policy analysis, semi- structured interviews with government and industry actors, and review of mining-law reforms. Her comparative approach reveals two contrasting governance models: South Africa’s state-anchored, regulation-heavy system that often stifles investment, and Zambia’s liberalized approach that invites rapid inflows but weakens public oversight. Both, she concludes, suffer from insufficient coordination between ministries, regulatory capture, and lack of downstream-processing strategies that directly affect the sustainability of their social license to operate (SLO).
Implications for African Resource Policy
Garbarino contends that Africa’s participation in the global rare-earth supply chain will remain extractive rather than transformative unless governments strengthen institutional capacity and forge transparent partnerships. She recommends establishing regional coordination frameworks for pricing, export quotas, and environmental standards—tools that could shift bargaining power toward African producers while ensuring that community and ecological costs are internalized. The thesis contributes to a growing body of work emphasizing that governance, not geology, determines the trajectory of Africa’s mineral future. For policymakers and investors alike, it warns that without local beneficiation and inclusive planning, the next “resource boom” could reproduce the same legitimacy deficits that destabilized earlier mining waves.