Powering Africa's Green Industrial Future: How Critical Minerals can Drive Regional Integration with David Mparutsa and Thobani K

Host Thobani K speaks with David Mparutsa, Head of Enterprise & Supply Chain Development at Absa Corporate & Investment Bank, on how Africa can move from exporting raw minerals to building competitive regional industries. Drawing on insights from the 2025 TIPS Forum, Mparutsa unpacks why intra-African trade remains low, the case for a hub-and-spoke model across SADC, and the fundamentals—energy, ports, roads, skills, and coordinated policy—needed to unlock beneficiation and manufacturing.They also explore how finance can pull SMEs into these value chains: Absa’s ESD and supply-chain finance approaches that lend against future cash flows, sector marketplaces like Made in Africa, and practical trade missions that connect smaller suppliers to corporate demand. It’s a grounded roadmap for turning Africa’s critical minerals into inclusive growth through collaboration, specialization, and smarter financing.