African countries must move beyond their traditional role as exporters of raw materials and assert a stronger position in global green industries, Botswana’s Minister of International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale has said.

Speaking at the Just Transition Platform (JTP) Convening 2026, in Gaborone, Botswana, Butale said Africa’s resource endowment, particularly in critical minerals essential for clean energy technologies, must be leveraged to drive industrialisation, skills development and job creation rather than reinforce extractive economic patterns.

He warned that the global shift to low-carbon energy systems risked reproducing historical inequalities unless African states deliberately reposition themselves within emerging value chains.
“Africa must not be positioned merely as a supplier of raw materials, but as an active participant in the industries of the future,” he said.

Butale’s remarks reflected a growing continental concern that the green transition, while presenting economic opportunities, could deepen Africa’s dependence on external markets if not carefully structured.

He said the transition should be anchored in domestic value addition, with investments in manufacturing, innovation, infrastructure and skills development to ensure African economies benefit beyond resource extraction.

The minister stressed that the future of Africa’s participation in the green economy would depend on whether countries are able to build competitive industries around their natural resources, particularly in critical minerals supply chains.

He said a just transition must be fundamentally people-centred, warning that workers and communities dependent on traditional industries risk being left behind without deliberate policy interventions.

He added that youth, women and local entrepreneurs must be placed at the centre of emerging green economic opportunities.
“The question we must continue asking ourselves is who can participate in this new economy, and how do we ensure inclusion,” he said.

He added that social protection systems and skills development programmes would be essential to managing the economic disruption associated with the shift away from carbon-intensive sectors.

Butale also drew attention to what he described as structural imbalances in global climate and development finance, arguing that current systems do not sufficiently support African priorities.

He said financing for the transition must be scaled up and directed towards projects that strengthen resilience, create decent work and support long-term development.

Without reform of global financial systems, he warned, Africa risks facing a transition that is underfunded and externally driven, rather than shaped by domestic development needs.
Citing Botswana’s own development path, the minister pointed to the country’s experience in managing extractive industries as an example of how natural resources can be translated into broader national prosperity.

He said that as demand for critical minerals grows globally, African countries must strengthen governance frameworks to ensure resource wealth is used to support long-term economic transformation.

Across the continent, governments are increasingly seeking to define a more assertive role in global energy governance, amid concerns that Africa risks being locked into supply roles in emerging green supply chains dominated by industrialised economies.

Butale said international cooperation remains essential, but stressed that partnerships must be structured in ways that are fair, transparent and accountable.
He called for systems in which governments, investors, institutions and communities are mutually accountable, rather than arrangements that primarily reflect external priorities.
Butale insisted that Africa’s engagement with the global energy transition must be shaped by both ambition and equity.

He urged participants at the Gaborone convening to focus on practical pathways that ensure the transition delivers tangible benefits to African populations.

“The transition must not only be green, but truly just,” he declared.