[Ferro-Alloys.com]  China’s manganese rush in Gabon: A new front in the global race for battery metals

China’s growing appetite for Gabon’s manganese is about much more than mining. It’s about steel, electric vehicles, and control over the minerals that will power the future.

Nearly 90% of manganese consumed worldwide goes into steelmaking — and China produces over half of the world’s steel. But the metal’s strategic value doesn’t stop there. Manganese is a key ingredient in advanced battery technologies, from nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) to lithium-manganese oxide (LMO), both critical to China’s electric vehicle boom.

That makes Gabon — the world’s second-largest producer, with reserves of some 250 million tonnes — a prize Beijing cannot ignore. The Moanda region’s ore is among the highest quality globally, often exceeding 46% manganese content.

For years, Gabon exported raw ore with little local processing. But a shift is coming. Starting in 2029, Libreville will ban raw manganese exports, forcing foreign investors to build processing facilities inside the country. Mines Minister Gilles Nembé calls it a chance to transform Gabon into “a competitive industrial hub.”

China is already moving. This past September, a delegation of seven Chinese firms pitched plans for an integrated industrial zone in Gabon, including smelting technology, alloy production, and battery-grade manganese. By embedding itself deeper into Gabon’s value chain, China aims to secure high-grade supplies and reduce dependence on unpredictable global markets.

But Beijing isn’t alone. Japanese investors have also stepped in, announcing projects to build processing capacity in Gabon to feed both their steel and EV industries — and to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals.

For Gabon, the competition is leverage: more investment, more jobs, and the chance to capture greater value from its resources. For China, it’s a test of how far its industrial strategy can reach in Africa’s green energy transition.

As the 2029 export ban approaches, Gabon’s manganese may become a flashpoint in the global scramble for battery metals — reshaping both Africa’s mining landscape and the geopolitics of clean energy.

• [Editor:tianyawei]