Expert Policy Briefs on Incentives for Local Beneficiation and Green Industrialisation for selected SADC Countries
Consultancy, Research Jobs
Job Description
1. Background and Rationale
African mineral-producing countries are seeking to move beyond raw-mineral export towards local beneficiation, fabrication and downstream industrial development. As a result, across Africa, governments are increasingly using export restrictions to pursue strategic objectives, including industrialisation and domestic value addition.
So far, about 13 African countries have introduced export restrictions, bans or beneficiation requirements. These include leading critical mineral producers such as Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the DRC.
There is a reasonable economic argument behind some of these measures where it is expected that restricting exports could push companies to set up facilities for smelting, refining and processing raw materials, or make raw materials more readily available to domestic processors and, under certain circumstances, provide an indirect cost advantage to downstream industries.
However, beneficiation is not automatically viable or developmentally beneficial. It depends on feedstock, energy, water, chemicals, technology, skills, finance, markets, logistics, standards and environmental and social safeguards.
Further, research elsewhere shows that beneficiation might not be economically viable for certain countries. For instance, the Natural Resources Governance Institute's 2025 report, Refining the Strategy: The Economics of Lithium Value Addition in Ghana, models the economics of establishing a domestic lithium refinery in Ghana. Its findings revealed that a Ghanaian refinery built in the near term could cost the government at least US$500 million in lost revenue because the refinery would need to purchase Ghanaian lithium concentrate at below-market prices to remain viable. NRGI also estimated that the refinery would create fewer than 200 direct jobs once operational.
Equally important is the OECD 2017 Study on Export Controls and Competitiveness in African Mining and Minerals Processing Industries, which examined four African cases (manganese in Gabon, lead in South Africa, copper in Zambia and chromite in Zimbabwe). The study found that export restrictions generally did not improve the competitiveness of downstream processing industries, and in some cases, they undermined the performance of the mining industry by reducing the export competitiveness of the raw mineral.
Similarly, the International Monetary Fund's 2024 Regional Economic Outlook also noted that previous mineral export bans in Tanzania and Zambia paradoxically contributed to reductions in both processed and raw mineral production.
Against this backdrop, a regional think tank working on natural resource governance is commissioning country-specific, evidence-based policy briefs to identify practical incentives and enabling reforms for local beneficiation in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The briefs will focus primarily on nationally viable beneficiation opportunities, while also taking into account relevant regional market, infrastructure and supply-chain dynamics. The findings will subsequently inform the Hub's broader thinking on regional industrialisation and the proposed SADC Critical Minerals Value Chain Compact.
2. Assignment Objective
To develop an evidence-based policy brief on incentives for local beneficiation in a selected country and value chain.
The brief must identify viable upgrading opportunities beyond raw-mineral export, assess existing incentives and constraints, and recommend a targeted, time-bound and performance-based package of legal, fiscal, infrastructure, skills, market and ESG measures.
The policy brief should assess current country-specific conditions for viable beneficiation along specific mineral value chains.
Duties and Responsibilities
3. Core Research Questions
What local beneficiation, fabrication or downstream activity is technically and commercially viable within the next three to five years?
What is the realistic product ladder from extraction to local value addition?
What binding constraints prevent upgrading: power, water, logistics, finance, technology, skills, chemicals, standards, market access, policy or regulation?
What incentives currently exist, and are they effective, affordable and appropriately targeted? If none exist, what incentives should be put in place to drive beneficiation?
Which additional incentives are justified, for whom, for how long and subject to what performance conditions?
What public benefits should incentive recipients deliver, including jobs, local procurement, skills transfer, technology transfer, fiscal contribution, community benefit and environmental performance?
What risks require mitigation, including fiscal giveaways, minimally processed exports, stranded assets, environmental harm, weak local linkages or investor non-compliance?
4. Scope of Work
The expert will undertake the following tasks:
Review relevant laws, policies, incentive regimes, export control measures, fiscal measures, investment frameworks, sector strategies, trade measures, local-content rules and environmental/social requirements.
Map the local value-chain baseline: resources, operating projects, processing capacity, relevant firms, import/export patterns, industrial capability and key infrastructure.
Identify the next viable local product or processing stage and distinguish short-, medium- and long-term opportunities.
Undertake targeted stakeholder consultations with government, industry, finance institutions, researchers, workers, communities and civil society, as appropriate.
Assess market and offtake conditions, including domestic demand, public procurement opportunities and realistic export markets.
Assess technical, commercial, environmental and social feasibility conditions.
Review existing incentives and propose a targeted incentive package linked to measurable performance obligations.
Propose recommendations, including lead institutions, required policy actions, timeframe and costs and risks.
Country findings should be grounded in primary data sources such as national statistics agencies, chambers of mines/minerals authorities, central banks and at least one independent economic assessment.
5. Assignment Topics
The following are the proposed policy brief topics for each country:
Malawi: Incentives for Local Phosphate Beneficiation, Fertiliser Blending and Agro-Mineral Value Addition.
Zambia: Incentives for Local Copper Fabrication: Rod, Wire, Cable and Electrical Products.
Zimbabwe: Incentives for Local Steel Fabrication, Ferroalloy-Linked Manufacturing and Mining Inputs.
Zimbabwe: Incentives for Local Lithium Beneficiation and Battery-Material Intermediates.
Namibia: Incentives for Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia and Domestic Green Industrial Development.
South Africa: Incentives for Local Manganese Beneficiation, Vanadium Materials and Stationary Storage Systems.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Incentives for Local Cobalt Chemicals, Battery Precursors and Copper Product Manufacturing.
Qualifications and Experience
8. Required Expertise
Applicants should possess the following:
* At least eight years of relevant professional experience in industrial policy, mining, energy, manufacturing, trade, development finance or value-chain analysis.
* Demonstrated country and sector expertise relevant to the selected assignment.
* Experience analysing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, investment frameworks and industrial upgrading.
* Ability to assess commercial feasibility, public-value outcomes and environmental/social risks.
* Experience in engaging government, the private sector, financial institutions, research bodies, communities and civil society.
* Strong writing and communication skills, with the ability to produce concise, decision-oriented policy briefs.
How to Apply
Application Procedure
Interested applicants should submit an Expression of Interest to:
Email: procurementzw@gmail.com
Deadline: 8 October 2026.
