In October final 12 months the authorities in Beijing introduced that they’d be tightening export controls for some varieties of graphite, a vital mineral for the manufacturing of batteries and different electronics. The transfer, which China stated was designed to “safeguard nationwide safety and pursuits”, raised severe alarm bells in neighbouring South Korea. The nation’s main electronics corporations, equivalent to LG and Samsung, rely closely on imports from China and different overseas markets to supply important items – not least semiconductors, that are central parts of numerous digital units and have grow to be very important for the trendy international economic system.
In what is probably an indication of Africa’s rising geopolitical and financial significance, South Korea responded to this disruption by turning to the continent, and particularly Mozambique and Tanzania, each of that are residence to important graphite reserves.
Seoul has been investing closely in growing diplomatic and financial relations in Africa, partly in anticipation of such developments. The continent is residence to swathes of pure sources – equivalent to graphite, silicon, and quartz – which have grow to be more and more helpful as important parts for semiconductor manufacturing.
Elevated diplomatic vitality
It isn’t simply South Korea that has recognised how important a task Africa may play on this business. America, Europe, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, and China are all committing extra monetary sources and diplomatic vitality to the continent – with entry to vital minerals a precedence for all of them.
This elevated curiosity and engagement is unsurprising as a result of it’s troublesome to overstate how necessary the units have grow to be. Semiconductors, that are the core of all the things from smartphones to defence programs and rising synthetic intelligence expertise, now signify a $500bn international market. The whole market cap for the highest twenty clients of the main producer alone, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), simply surpasses $7 trillion.
The dimensions of the business and its vital significance imply there are undoubtedly financial alternatives for Africa. The continent’s share of the worldwide market has, nonetheless, thus far been restricted. Regardless of having a number of the world’s largest reserves of silicon and uncommon earth metals, African nations account for lower than 1% of the worldwide market.
Even these nations that do have helpful pure sources – equivalent to South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Nigeria – have a tendency merely to export the supplies to producers overseas, moderately than have interaction in additional superior, technical processes associated to semiconductor manufacturing.
There are some notable exceptions. Cairo-based Si-Ware Techniques, which closed a funding spherical of just about $9m in 2021, has emerged as a world chief in silicon-based semiconductor innovation and posted annual revenues of over $20m final 12 months. In 2022, South Africa additionally managed to export a modest $25.9m value of semiconductor units. However on the entire, Africa at present lacks the capability to conduct higher-value actions.
Nii Simmonds, non-resident senior fellow on the Atlantic Council in Washington, tells African Enterprise that “Africa has a possibility to maneuver up the semiconductor worth chain.”
“Electrical energy deficiencies and an absence of commercial water provides imply that Africa isn’t going to be ready to take advantage of superior semiconductors or chips anytime quickly,” he says.
“Nonetheless, there’s undoubtedly potential for African nations to be concerned in issues like analysis, design, testing and flash reminiscence manufacturing.”
Analysis and improvement hubs
There have been some encouraging – albeit small – strikes on this course. South Africa, for instance, has taken some early steps by establishing the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Centre on the Council for Scientific and Industrial Analysis (CSIR) in Pretoria, a analysis and improvement (R&D) facility specializing in semiconductor and chip manufacturing.
Kenya additionally seems to have ambitions on this area, with the federal government launching the nation’s first semiconductor manufacturing unit in 2022 within the hope of growing superior technological capabilities. Nonetheless, investing in such initiatives, with the goal of stimulating the event of the business and enhancing technical knowhow, wants capital that the majority African nations merely wouldn’t have.
Simmonds suggests {that a} potential answer to this drawback could be for Africa to comply with the mannequin which was pursued by Southeast Asian nations within the Seventies and Eighties.
International multinationals, primarily from america and Japan, had been closely concerned within the improvement of the area’s shopper electronics business. World corporations equivalent to Sony and Hewlett Packard established manufacturing hubs and R&D centres in Southeast Asia and – owing to a beneficial political and regulatory surroundings, a extremely educated inhabitants and cheaper labour than was accessible of their home markets – shifted giant elements of their operations to Singapore and different close by nations.
Encourage multinationals to place down roots
Simmonds believes that African nations ought to search to comply with this instance and that Western governments also needs to encourage multinationals to ascertain roots on the continent. Within the geopolitical battle for affect in Africa and for entry to sources, he thinks that this might be a robust means for the West to distinguish itself from Beijing and to construct extra optimistic relationships in Africa.
“China has a deal with worth extraction and imports as many minerals as potential from Africa and different rising markets. Additionally it is not sure by any environmental or governance frameworks,” Simmonds says. “The US and Western companions can promote extra sustainable, mutually helpful development by creating incentives for main expertise corporations to maneuver elements of their semiconductor manufacturing and R&D provide chains to African nations, simply as they did with Southeast Asian nations within the Seventies and Eighties.”
He’s inspired that there was progress on this entrance, though rather more funding remains to be wanted. Google has established a R&D expertise hub in Accra, the Microsoft Africa Improvement Centre (ADC) has workplaces in each Nairobi and Lagos, whereas IMB Analysis has outposts in Johannesburg and Nairobi.
Simmonds notes that extra such initiatives and funding may unlock important financial advantages for Africa whereas strengthening the availability chains of the US and its multinational corporations. “This could permit Africa to capitalise on the US’ want for extra resilient provide chains, after provide chain vulnerabilities had been starkly revealed throughout the pandemic,” he says. “This [US] administration’s flagship Inflation Discount Act additionally consists of provisions for establishing partnerships with strategic allies by funding in manufacturing at residence and overseas. Africa, and its expertise business, can benefit from this.”
A substitute for China
By way of how Africa can greatest place itself within the international semiconductor and electronics business, Simmonds additionally thinks that there’s a possibility for the continent to capitalise on the “China Plus One” technique that extra enterprises are adopting. This refers back to the rising pattern of companies avoiding investing in China, in mild of rising manufacturing prices and better geopolitical dangers, and as an alternative committing capital to different rising market economies.
“Significantly ought to Africa enhance its governance situations and supply a extra secure surroundings for funding, the continent may benefit from corporations eager to diversify their provide chains to mitigate China-related dangers,” Simmonds notes.
South Korea’s choice to switch graphite imports from China with these from Mozambique and Tanzania was one which Seoul was pressured into; however extra corporations and governments may make related strikes proactively as a part of broader “China Plus One” methods.
These traits recommend there are many alternatives for Africa to forge a higher, extra helpful position for itself in international semiconductor provide chains. Challenges nonetheless stay – overseas capital shall be required, and technical information will have to be developed earlier than African can conduct the best worth operations – however there are additionally compelling components in Africa’s favour.
“Africa is on the geographical centre of worldwide semiconductor provide chains and is residence to lots of the important supplies. It’s the place the world meets,” Simmonds says. “There is a chance for Africa to plot a profitable technique on this sector.”
