The Mining Industry in Africa

As of 1990 Africa produced this percentage of the world's minerals:

??% Platinum - South Africa and Zimbabwe
75% Cobalt ore
51% Vanadium - steelmaking
49% Diamonds
40% Chromium - steelmaking
37% Gold
27% Manganese - steelmaking
25% Phospates - Morocco, Tunisia
18% Bauxite - Guinea 95%
14% Uranium -
12% Copper - the Copperbelt in RDC/Zambia
12% Mercury - Algeria 100%
10% Petroleum - especially Africa's Atlantic coast; this must have risen since 1990
09% Antimony
09% Asbestos
08% Nickel - for Stainless steel
06% Lead
05% Coal - South Africa 97%

Also: Iron ore; Exxaro in South Africa; and many, many others.

Source: Atlas of African Affairs by Professor Ieuan Griffiths, Witwatersrand University Press 1994

Vanadium, chromium, cobalt, manganese and especially nickel are used to make steel. Nickel is in stainless steel and the others are used to create high performance steel for jet engines and the like, as well as high tech uses, et cetera.

Guinea is one of the top aluminum producers in the world.

For perspective, the leading mining nations in the world include: USA, Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa; the leading miner in South America is Chile.

For lists of active companies, Wikipedia articles include:
Aluminium in Africa
Iron ore in Africa
Platinum in Africa
Titanium in Africa