April 17, 2025: Zambia’s cabinet has given the go-ahead to joining the Global Battery Alliance.

Cornelius Mweetwa, chief government spokesperson, told a news conference on April 10 that the decision was based on securing sustainable economic development of Zambia’s substantial cobalt reserves, which he said was a critical component in battery production.

He said it was essential to leverage this mineral wealth through participation in the growing electric vehicle market, while promoting sustainable mining practices and ensuring economic benefits from the battery value chain, and adhering to high environmental and human rights standards.

Mweetwa said Zambia’s membership of the GBA would give the country access to leading organizations in the world battery sector, along with academics and non-governmental organizations, to work together in a pre-competitive approach to drive systems change along the value chains.

The alliance is a public-private collaboration initiative founded in 2017 at the World Economic Forum to help establish a sustainable battery value chain by 2030.

In a report released last August, the International Institute for Sustainable Development warned that Zambia was among a number of African, Caribbean and Pacific states at risk of being exploited and losing out ecologically and economically in critical raw material supply deals for major EV battery manufacturing players.