India, Sept. 30 -- Africa holds vast reserves of key transition minerals for electric vehicles and renewable energy, yet most countries export them raw, capturing little value.

A World Bank-commissioned study finds limited local processing, weak industrialisation and heavy dependence on Asian buyers, especially China.

It argues that only deeper regional cooperation, shared infrastructure and coordinated policies can turn mineral wealth into broad-based prosperity.

Green technologies are mineral-intensive: electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and grids need cobalt, lithium, copper, manganese, graphite and rare earths. The International Energy Agency estimates that electric cars require six times more minerals than a...