EU–Africa Strategic Corridors and critical raw materials: two-way approach to regional development and security of supply

Abstract

The paper has two interconnected bodies. The first one deals with mineral resource indicators and their role in drawing 11 EU–Africa Strategic Corridors, in a broader context of Africa–EU partnership. The second strives to understand how such Strategic Corridors are also mineral corridors, i.e. development promotors that use mineral resources as a catalyser to create and strengthen value chains and territorial organisation, boosting economic and societal development at regional scale. The results can help understand how Strategic Corridors can improve access to the present and future mines, mitigating the risk of supply disruptions of critical raw materials for the EU.