Metal Production

Iron production was a particularly important precolonial African technology, with iron becoming a central component of socioeconomic life in many societies across the continent. The limitations to iron ore mining are not because of the size or grade of the ore, but rather the costs associated with mining the ore and transporting it. It is a capital intensive industry that requires significant investment in infrastructure. Around two billion metric tonnes of raw iron ore is produced every year. The international consumption of iron ore is growing by around 10% every year, and the main consumers are Japan, China, Korea, the European Union and the United States.

Iron is the main component of the steel production. Africa accounted for 1% of the world’s total finished steel production. Egypt and South Africa are the main players in steel production in Africa. Contrarily, Africa’s steel consumption is around two times higher than its production. Africa accounted for 2.2% of the world’s total finished steel consumption. South Africa has 77% of total iron production in Africa in 2016.