BERLIN (Reuters) -German economic policy is in need of a decisive “Africa shift” in light of geopolitical tensions and critical dependencies on raw materials, the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI), a paper seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.

“Africa is not just a market for the future, but a partner for our economic resilience,” said SAFRI chairman Thomas Schaefer. “If we are serious about diversification, raw material security and new growth areas, we must act now.”

Raw materials such as lithium, copper, and cobalt are indispensable for the transformation of the economy and SAFRI called for legally binding strategic raw-material deals with African partners to reduce dependencies on individual countries.

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