South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia and the DRC dominate the African Mining industry. Africa produces more than 60 metal and mineral products and is a major producer of several of the world’s most important minerals and metals including Gold, PGE’s, Diamonds, Uranium, Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Bauxite and Cobalt. It is interesting to note that Africa's contribution to the world's major metals (copper, lead and zinc) is less than 7%. Although underexplored, Africa hosts about 30% of the planet's mineral reserves, including 40% of gold, 60% cobalt and 90% of the world's PGM reserves - making it a truly strategic producer of these precious metals. Unfortunately, the increase in exploration and mining development in Africa has been primarily focused on gold and diamond exploration. However, Mozambique, Nigeria and Madagascar are but a few countries that have tremendous potential for base metal and industrial mineral deposits.
In the Oli & Gas sub-sector, a 2008 BP Statistical Energy Survey indicates that Africa had proven oil reserves of 117.481 billion barrels at the end of 2007 or 9.49 % of the world's reserves and in 2007 the region produced an average of 10317.6 thousand barrels of crude oil per day, 12.5% of the world total and a change of 3.1 % compared to 2006. Five countries dominate Africa's upstream oil production. Together they account for 85% of the continent's oil production and are, in order of decreasing output, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Angola. Exploration is taking place in a number of other countries that aim to increase their output or become first time producers. Included in this list are Chad, Sudan, Namibia, South Africa and Madagascar while Mozambique and Tanzania are potential gas producers.
