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Undermining sustainability: the EU’s push for competitiveness and its consequences for Africa’s critical minerals sector
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Undermining sustainability: the EU’s push for competitiveness and its consequences for Africa’s critical minerals sector

James Boafo, Senyo Dotsey, Rochelle Spencer and Philip Alesin
Renewable and sustainable energy transition, Vol.9, 100151
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2026.100151
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Published2.73 MBDownloadView
Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Africa Critical minerals Omnibus simplification package Sustainability
The European Union’s (EU) push for economic competitiveness is driving an urgent pursuit of Africa’s critical raw minerals through strategic partnerships and diplomacy. A key area of cooperation is promoting sustainable and responsible production, due diligence, and sourcing of Africa’s critical raw minerals. This includes bolstering governance, due diligence, and traceability in the critical minerals sector in accordance with international sustainability and due diligence standards. However, to improve competitiveness, the EU has proposed easing specific sustainability regulations, particularly those related to corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence. Drawing on the ‘Omnibus Simplification Package’ (Omnibus I package) and existing partnerships between the EU and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, this paper critically examines the implications of the changes to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) for the responsible sourcing of critical raw minerals from Africa. Our analysis indicates that the changes to the CSDDD undermine responsible production and sourcing of critical minerals from Africa, with potentially severe environmental and human rights consequences. The findings have implications for policies and strategies aimed at promoting the responsible sourcing of Africa’s critical minerals.

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