SGA Lecture – Dr. Anouk Borst (KU Leuven & Royal Museum for Central Africa)

SGA STUDENT CHAPTER ERLANGEN
- Lecture Series - Mineral Deposits -

The SGA Student Chapter Erlangen delighted to welcome

Dr. Anouk Borst
(KU Leuven & Royal Museum for Central Africa),

who will present a lecture entitled:

“From Shovels to Shareholders: Geology, Exploitation and Geopolitical Context of Critical Minerals in Central Africa”

on Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 17:00
ROOM: Übungsraum Geologie (01.124) - GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Schlossgarten 5, Erlangen.

Abstract:

Central Africa hosts some of the world’s largest deposits of tin, tantalum, tungsten (the “3Ts”), and lithium-minerals essential to modern technologies and the energy transition. These resources are extracted through profoundly different modes of operation, ranging from artisanal small-scale (ASM) mining to capital-intensive industrial exploration. In this presentation I will discuss the geology and exploitation of pegmatite-hosted rare metal deposits in Central Africa. I will focus on recent developments at the Manono-Kitotolo lithium-tantalum-tin deposits in the DRC, to illustrate major challenges of resource governance in Central Africa and the contrasting perspectives involved.
The 3T and lithium deposits in Central Africa occur in widespread granitic pegmatites and quartz veins. Over time, deep tropical weathering has turned some of these deposits into soft soils rich in tin and tantalum, accessible to artisanal miners. These miners extract cassiterite and columbite-tantalite through hard manual labor for minimal income. In contrast, lithium must be extracted from hard, unweathered rock, requiring industrial-scale operations and significant capital investment. Recent developments at the world-class Manono-Kitotolo Li-Sn-Ta project highlight the uneven playing field between Western private companies, which are closely monitored by shareholders and must follow strict international reporting and ESG rules, and Chinese
state-owned enterprises, which operate under different accountability structures, often allowing faster but less transparent decision-making. This case illustrates the broader challenges of resource governance in the DRC amid rising global competition for strategic minerals.

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Anouk Borst is Associate Professor at KU Leuven and Senior Researcher at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium. She holds a PhD in igneous petrology and economic geology from the University of Copenhagen and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. She obtained her BSc and MSc geology degrees at the VU Amsterdam. Her research focusses on the mineralogy and geochemistry of igneous rocks and associated rare metal deposits, specifically lithium, tantalum and rare earth elements. In 2021 she was awarded the Max Hey Medal as well as the R.A. Howie Best Paper Award from the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, for her contributions in applying synchrotron methods to ore deposits. Her current work focusses on mineral exploration and exploitation in Central Africa.