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Center for African Minerals Value Chains (CAMVaC)
From Resource Endowment to Sovereign Capability in Africa
CAMVaC is a continental research and strategy platform advancing producer-centred governance, critical minerals policy, and sovereign industrial upgrading across Africa.
About Us
Who are we
CAMVaC works at the intersection of policy, research, and strategic implementation to help African producer countries convert mineral endowment into industrial power and sovereign capability.
Founded by Globelics Fellow Lloyd Nedohe, CAMVaC bridges academic insight, policy reform, and commercial strategy to support sovereign capability development across the SADC and AfCFTA regions.
Our Vision
A continent where mineral wealth is governed through sovereign diagnostics, developmental linkages, and transformative institutions—anchored in African agency.
Our Mission
To equip African producer countries with the tools, frameworks, and institutional strategies needed to convert mineral endowment into industrial power.
The Linkage-Based Criticality Matrix (LBCM)
The LBCM is a sovereign diagnostic framework that redefines mineral criticality beyond supply risk—placing developmental linkages, institutional readiness, and national priorities at the centre of analysis.
Key Features:
Seven developmental linkage dimensions
Policy-weighted scoring methodology
Alignment with national and regional strategies
Designed for African producer economies
What We Do
Our current focus areas include
Critical Minerals Governance & Strategy Alignment
We support governments and institutions in aligning national mineral strategies with regional frameworks and global market dynamics, ensuring policy coherence across the critical minerals ecosystem.
Mineral Value Chain & Beneficiation Strategy
CAMVaC designs linkage-based beneficiation strategies that identify realistic, high-impact opportunities for value addition within mineral value chains.
Critical Mineral Value Chains Capability
We analyse critical mineral value chains to identify sovereign pathways for African producers to move upstream—building capabilities in processing, materials production, and energy-transition technologies, and capturing greater value through strategic industrial participation.
Institutional Design for Industrial Upgrading
CAMVaC analyses how institutions, governance structures, and regulatory regimes enable—or constrain—industrial upgrading and value chain participation.
Sovereign Data Transparency & Open Diagnostics
We develop and promote producer-owned, transparent analytical tools, including open diagnostics such as the Linkage-Based Criticality Matrix (LBCM).
Comparative Policy Learning & Global Benchmarking
CAMVaC draws strategic lessons from comparator countries including Chile, Indonesia, Canada, and Australia to inform African policy choices.
Thought Leadership That Shapes Policy
CAMVaC produces working papers, policy briefs, and strategic diagnostics aimed at policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders.
Featured Publications:
From Geological Endowment to Industrial Power
The GVC Squeeze: From Governance to Paralysis
Designing the Linkage-Based Criticality Matrix (LBCM)
Why Choose Us
Producer-Centred. Policy-Driven. Sovereign by Design.
We don’t offer generic analysis or off-the-shelf consulting. We work with governments, institutions, and strategic partners to build lasting sovereign capability—grounded in evidence, aligned with policy, and designed for long-term industrial transformation.
Producer-Centred Thinking
CAMVaC places producer countries at the centre of critical minerals governance. Our frameworks begin with national development priorities, not external market classifications or investor convenience.
Policy-Relevant, Not Just Academic
Our work bridges the gap between rigorous research and real-world policy application. Every framework, diagnostic, and publication is designed to inform decision-making, not sit on a shelf.
Our Frameworks
Let’s Build Sovereign Capability Together
Whether you are shaping national strategy, advancing research, or exploring partnership opportunities, we invite you to engage with our work.
Testimonials
What Our Clients Say?
Frequently Asked Questions
The Center for African Minerals Value Chains (CAMVaC) is a continental research and strategy platform focused on producer-centred governance, critical minerals policy, and industrial upgrading across Africa’s mineral value chains.
CAMVaC works at the intersection of research, policy innovation, and strategic engagement to help African producer countries convert mineral endowment into sovereign industrial capability.
CAMVaC collaborates with a wide range of partners, including:
National and sub-national governments
Mineral strategy and industrial policy units
Regional economic communities (RECs)
Universities and research institutions
African think tanks and development finance institutions
Our partnerships are strategic and co-development oriented, not transactional consultancy arrangements.
CAMVaC is producer-centred and sovereignty-driven.
Unlike traditional firms that focus primarily on market risk or investor perspectives, our work begins with national development priorities, institutional capacity, and long-term industrial objectives.
We also develop open, transparent frameworks designed for sovereign use rather than proprietary lock-in.
The Linkage-Based Criticality Matrix (LBCM) is CAMVaC’s flagship diagnostic framework.
It redefines mineral criticality by assessing minerals across seven developmental linkage dimensions, rather than focusing only on global supply risk or scarcity.
The LBCM helps producer countries evaluate:
Industrial upgrading potential
Domestic and regional value chain linkages
Institutional readiness
Alignment with national and regional strategies
CAMVaC works across a range of critical and strategic minerals, with current emphasis on:
Manganese and battery-related value chains
Energy transition minerals
Minerals prioritised within national and regional strategies
Our focus evolves based on policy relevance and strategic importance, rather than market trends alone.
Any questions you want to ask?
Still have questions or want to explore collaboration?