The African Continent's Lithium Battery Manufacturing Opportunities

Since April 2020, Rebecca Gaskin Gain has served as the independent non-executive director at CBZ Holdings. A supporter of many entrepreneurial efforts, Rebecca Gaskin Gain backs renewable energy projects in Zimbabwe, like lithium battery manufacturing.

Batteries containing lithium are desirable due to their high energy density. Vehicles of all kinds, across all industries, require lithium batteries to function, so any industry is a potential market. Due to the heightened interest in non-fossil fuel energy sources, brought about by climate change, countries and companies alike are more interested in investing in energy sources like lithium batteries than they were in the past.

Although the African continent contains plentiful lithium deposits, current lithium hydroxide manufacturers are usually located in Sweden or China. If these manufacturers relocated to countries like Zimbabwe, residents could generate more income while lowering these companies' logistical costs. The Rwandan company Ampersand, for example, already supports the country's motorbike taxi industry by creating lithium batteries for them. If developed nations replicated Ampersand’s business model, the whole African continent could reap similar benefits while combating climate change.