The US Role in Artificial Intelligence and African Mining

 The Atlantic Council published on 16 July 2026 a report titled "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of African Mining" by Anthony Carroll and Jef Karel Caers.

Colonial-era maps and infrastructure hinder access to the roughly 30 percent of global critical minerals in Africa.  AI-powered mining and mapping tools could help expedite discovery, reduce drilling time, and modernize operations.

The United States should develop "smart mining" partnerships with African countries that advance US security objectives while providing long-term dividends for African nations.  

China, the US and Africa Green Minerals Strategy

 China-Africa Security Radar published on 5 July 2026 a commentary titled "China, the United States, and Africa's Green Minerals Vision" by Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah.

In 2025, the African Union adopted a continental policy framework called Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), which aims to turn Africa's critical and green minerals endowment into sustainable, value-adding industrialization that supports a just energy transition and regional supply chain integration.  

China has the processing capacity, investment scale, implementation speed, and institutional flexibility to advance African industrialization--but its commercial incentives run directly against allowing Africa to independently climb the value chain.

The US offers somewhat more transparent financing structures, stronger governance standards, and procedural models that on paper seem to better protect African states from debt traps--but it lacks the industrial ecosystem and the genuine political will to support African manufacturing rather than African extraction for American consumption.   

Africa's Critical Minerals and Great Power Competition

 Rare Earth Exchanges published on 17 May 2026 an article titled "Africa Has Become the New Geopolitical Battleground for Critical Minerals."

The article summarizes a study that examines trade flows, foreign direct investment, military relationships, diplomatic agreements, mining policy, and strategic industrial initiatives shaping Africa's critical minerals economy.  It evaluates how China, Russia, the United States, and Europe are accessing and responding to Africa's critical mineral wealth.

The entire study "In the Crosshairs: Twenty-first-century Rivalry for Africa's Critical Minerals" by Ron Matthews and Vlado Vivoda was published online on 11 May 2026 by the European Journal of International Security.  

Major Study of Africa's Strategic Minerals

 The Lagos-based African Finance Corporation recently posted its "Compendium of Africa's Strategic Minerals 2026."

This is a major study of Africa's critical minerals, industrial minerals, uranium, and rare earths.  It also noted that China controls about 90 percent of global manganese refining, approximately 90 percent of rare earth separation and refining, and dominates battery-grade graphite processing.    

Africa's Critical Minerals: Is China or the United States the Better Partner?

 The Diplomat published on 5 February 2026 an analysis titled "China and the US Want Africa's Critical Minerals, Will African Countries Actually Benefit?" by Juliet Onyino and Weilu Jiang, both at Development Reimagined.

The authors concluded that neither the American nor the Chinese critical mineral strategies fully advance Agenda 2063's vision of African-led structural transformation.  In both cases, Africa's development objectives remain secondary unless effectively enforced through negotiation and policy coordination. 

Washington Hosts Critical Minerals Summit to Counter China

 Foreign Policy published on 4 February 2026 an article titled "What Will the U.S. Critical Minerals Summit Mean for Africa?" by Nasmot Gbadamosi.  

Washington hosted this week officials from 50 nations, including Angola, DRC, Gabon, Guinea, and Nigeria, at a critical minerals summit.  The United States sees African engagement as essential in its efforts to remove Beijing's chokehold on critical minerals.  

US-China Competition for Africa's Critical Minerals

 Business Insider Africa posted on 26 January 2026 an article titled "US-China Mineral Race Heats Up as Africa's Top Mining Nations Head to Washington" by Solomon Ekanem.

US officials are accelerating direct engagement in the mining sector of African governments and promoting investment-led partnerships with American companies.  

China's Critical Minerals Strategy in Africa

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 9 December 2025 a paper titled "China's Critical Minerals Strategy in Africa" by Paul Nantulya.

China controls over half of global critical minerals production and an estimated 87 percent of its processing and refining capacity.  It also produces nearly 70 percent of rare earth minerals.

China's strategy for dominance in critical minerals includes a tolerance for high-risk projects, generous government support to Chinese companies, diversified access to minerals, financial support of African infrastructure linked to mineral extraction, financing the development of African mineral projects, and strategic stockpiling of critical minerals in China.  

China-US Competition for Africa's Critical Minerals

 The Atlantic Council published on 12 October 2023 an analysis titled "How the US Can Build Better Strategic Partnerships in Africa to Secure Critical Minerals" by Nii Simmonds and Shirley Martey Hargis.

China currently dominates 90 percent of the global market for critical minerals, including imports from Africa, which has the minerals that will power the modern world.  The US should incentivize and strengthen private sector partnerships with African countries to secure supply chains.  More urgent action is needed to counter China's dominance of the continent's critical minerals.

Will China Take Advantage of Coup in Gabon?

 The Interpreter published on 4 September 2023 a commentary titled "Coup d'Etat in Gabon: Oil, Champagne, and China's Geopolitical Opportunity" by Cornelia Tremann.

France's loss in Gabon following the military coup may result in China's gain.  Gabon could offer a situation where China will want to have a bigger post-coup profile.  

Competition for Africa's Critical Minerals: A Boon or a Burden?

 The US Institute of Peace published on 7 June 2023 a commentary titled "Challenging China's Grip on Critical Minerals Can Be a Boon for Africa's Future" by Edward A. Burrier and Thomas P. Sheehy.

Growing demand by China and the West for critical minerals for clean energy technology such as electric vehicles strengthens Africa's economic leverage.  It could contribute to a more stable and prosperous continent.  It may also result in greater economic inequality, corruption, and instability.

China, Congo, Cobalt, and Cars

 Mining.com posted on 8 April 2021 an article titled "World's No. 2 Electric Carmaker Goes Nickel, Cobalt Free."

China's BYD is the world's second largest manufacturer of electric vehicles behind Tesla.  China is trying to control the electric vehicle market.  The batteries for electric vehicles rely heavily on cobalt, which China is also trying to control.  Most of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

BYD has announced that it is scrapping nickel, cobalt, manganese technology for its batteries and switching to lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.  If other electric car producers follow BYD's decision, this raises interesting questions for the future of cobalt and the importance that China will continue to attach to the DRC.