Critical Minerals Analyst, LiveMetalPrice.com
David Okafor is a critical minerals analyst and industrial metals writer specialising in the metals essential to the global energy transition — including tin, zinc, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements. With a background in economic geology and commodity market research, David covers supply chain risk, African mining markets, and the intersection of geopolitical risk with critical mineral access. He contributes analysis to LiveMetalPrice.com on base metals, technology metals, and the structural demand shifts reshaping industrial commodity markets through the 2020s.
David holds an MSc in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines and previously worked as a commodity researcher at an institutional asset manager in London, where he covered the LME base metals complex with a focus on tin, zinc, and cobalt. He brings a supply-chain and geopolitical lens to his analysis, drawing on primary data from the USGS, LME, SHFE, International Tin Association, and International Zinc Association. All analysis is reviewed for factual accuracy before publication, with corrections issued within 24 hours of any identified errors.
Education
MSc Mineral Economics, Colorado School of Mines
Previous Role
Commodity Researcher, London-based asset manager
Experience
8+ years critical minerals research
Specialisation
Tin, zinc, energy transition metals, African mining
David's analysis draws on LME and SHFE price data, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, International Tin Association production and trade data, International Zinc Association demand reports, Wood Mackenzie and BloombergNEF energy transition metal forecasts, and quarterly filings from major producers including Glencore, Teck Resources, PT Timah, and Alphamin Resources. Supply chain data is cross-referenced against at least two independent sources before publication.
Corrections policy: factual errors identified after publication are corrected with a timestamped note added to the bottom of the article within 24 hours. Substantive corrections are also noted in the article's summary description.
While gold and copper grab headlines, tin and zinc are quietly becoming critical bottlenecks in the global supply chain for electric vehicles, solar panels, and grid infrastructure. Here is what investors and industrial buyers need to understand.
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