This list highlights natural resources found in each African country.  This does not necessarily reflect all natural resources.  For further information, you can contact each country’s investment and promotion agency, embassies, department of trade, department of natural resources (e.g., minerals), and/or business and resource industry associations.

To get a searchable spreadsheet to check in which country a particular natural resource is found, contact us.  We also provide briefs on priority sectors, value chains, and clusters in African countries and regions.

Algeria

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Iron Ore, Phosphates, Uranium, Lead, Zinc

Angola

Petroleum, Diamonds, Iron Ore, Phosphates, Copper, Feldspar, GOd, Bauxite, Uranium

Benin

Small Offshore Oil Deposits, Limestone, Marble, Timber

Botswana

Diamonds, Copper, Nickel, Salt, Soda Ash, Potash, Coal, Iron Ore, Silver

Burkina Faso

Manganese, Limestone, Marble, Small Deposits of Gold, Phosphates, Pumice, Salt

Burundi

Nickel, Uranium, Rare Earth Oxides, Peat, Cobalt, Copper, Platinum, Vanadium, Arable Land, Hydropower, Niobium, Tantalum, Gold, Tin, Tungsten, Kaolin, Limestone

Cameroon

Petroleum, Bauxite, Iron Ore, Timber, Hydropower

Cape Verde

Salt, Balsalt Rock, Limestone, Kaolin, Fish, Clay, Gypsum

Central African Republic

Diamonds, Uranium, Timber, Gold, Oil, Hydropower

Chad

Petroleum, Uranium, Natron, Kaolin, Fish (Lake Chad), Gold, Limestone, Sand and Gravel, Salt

Congo, Democratic Republic of

Cobalt, Copper, Niobium, Tantalum, Petroleum, Industrial and Gem Diamonds, Gold, Silver, Zinc, Manganese, Tin, Uranium, Coal, Hydropower, Timber, Arable Land, Water

Congo, Republic of

Petroleum, Timber, Potash, Lead, Zinc, Uranium, Copper, Phosphates, Gold, Magnesium, Natural Gas, Hydropower

Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Diamonds, Manganese, Iron Ore, Cobalt, Bauxite, Copper, Gold, Nickel, Tantalum, Silica Sand, Clay, Cocoa, Beans, Coffee, Palm Oil, Hydropower

Djibouti

Geothermal, Gold, Clay, Granite, Limestone, Marble, Salt, Diatomite, Gypsum, Pumice, Petroleum

Egypt

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Iron Ore, Phosphates, Manganese, Limestone, Gypsum, Talc, Asbestos, Lead, Zinc

Equatorial Guinea

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Timber, Gold, Bauxite, Diamonds, Tantalum, Sand and Gravel, Clay

Eritrea

Potash, Gold, Zinc, Copper, Salt, Possibly Natural Gas and Oil, Fish

Ethiopia

Small Reserves of Gold, Platinum, Copper, Potash, Natural Gas, Hydropower

Gabon

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Diamonds, Niobium, Manganese, Uranium, Gold, Timber, Iron Ore, Hydropower

Gambia, The

Fish, Titanium (Rutile and Ilmenite), Tin, Zircon, Siliva Sand, Clay, Petroleum

Ghana

Gold, Timber, Industrial Diamonds, Bauxite, Manganese, Fish, Rubber, Hydropower, Petroleum, Silver, Salt, Limestone

Guinea

Bauxite, Iron Ore, Diamonds, Gold, Uranium, Hydropower, Fish, Salt

Guinea-Bissau

Fish, Timber, Phosphates, Bauxite, Clay, Granite, Limestone, Petroleum

Kenya

Limestone, Soda Ash, Salt, Gemstones, Fluorspar, Zinc, Diatomite, Gypsum, Wildlife, Hydropower

Lesotho

Water, Agricultural and Grazing Land, Diamonds, Sand, Clay, Building Stone

Liberia

Iron Ore, Timber, Diamonds, Gold, Hydropower

Libya

Petroleum, Natural Gas, Gypsum

Madagascar

Graphite, Chromite, Coal, Bauxite, Salt, Quartz, Tar Sands, Semiprecious Stones, Mica, Fish, Hydropower

Malawi

Limestone, Arable Land, Hydropower, Uranium, Coal,  Bauxite

Mali

Gold, Phosphates, Kaolin, Salt, Limestone, Uranium, Gypsum, Granite, Hydropower, Bauxite, Iron Ore, Manganese, Tin, Copper

Mauritania

Iron Ore, Gypsum, Copper, Phosphate, Diamonds, Gold, Oil, Fish

Mauritius

Arable Land, Fish

Morocco

Phosphates, Iron Ore, Manganese, Lead, Zinc, Fish, Salt

Mozambique

Coal, Titanium, Natural Gas, Hydropower, Tantalum, Graphite

Namibia

Diamonds, Copper, Uranium, Gold, Silver, Lead, Tin, Lithium, Cadmium, Tungsten, Zinc, Salt, Hydropower, Fish, Coal, Oil, Iron Ore

Niger

Uranium, Coal, Iron Ore, Tin, Phosphates, Gold, Molybdenum, Gypsum, Salt, Petroleum

Nigeria

Natural Gas, Petroleum, Tin, Iron Ore, Coal, Limestone, Niobium, Lead, Zinc, Arable Land

Rwanda 

Gold, Cassiterite (Tin Ore), Wolframite (Tungsten Ore), Methane, Hydropower, Arable Land

Sao Tome and Principe

Fish, Hydropower

Senegal

Fish, Phosphates, Iron Ore

Seychelles

Fish, Copra, Cinnamon Trees

Sierre Leone

Diamonds, Titanium Ore, Bauxite, Iron Ore, Gold, Chromite

Somalia

Uranium, Iron Ore, Tin, Gypsum, Bauxite, Copper, Salt, Natural Gas, Oil

South Africa

Gold, Chromium, Antimony, Coal, Iron Ore, Manganese, Nickel, Phosphates, Tin, Uranium, Gem Diamonds, Platinum, Copper, Vanadium, Salt, Natural Gas

Sudan

Petroleum, Iron Ore, Copper, Chromium Ore,  Zinc, Tungsten, Mica, Silver, Gold, Hydropower

Swaziland

Asbestos, Coal, Clay, Cassiterite, Hydropower, forests, Gold, Diamonds, Quarry Stone, Talc

Tanzania

Tanzanite, Gemstones, Hydropower, Tin, Phosphates, Iron Ore, Coal, Diamonds, Gold, Natural Gas, Nickel

Togo

Phosphates, Limestone, Marble, Arable Land

Tunisia

Petroleum, Phosphates, Iron Ore, Lead, Zinc, Salt

Uganda

Copper, Cobalt, Hydropower, Limestone, Salt, Arable Land, Gold

Zambia

Copper, Cobalt, Zinc, Lead, Coal, Emeralds, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Hydropower

Zimbabwe

Coal, Chromium Ore, Asbestos, Gold, Nickel, Copper, Iron Ore, Vanadium, Lithium, Tin, Platinum

Key Sources:  The World Factbook, investment and promotion agencies, and departments of trade