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.  

Kenya-US Critical Minerals Deal Counters China

 Reuters published on 17 June 2026 an article titled "Kenya, US Close in on Critical Minerals Deal, Ruto Says" by John Irish.

Kenya and the United States are about to close a deal on critical minerals that would allow Kenya to process the minerals domestically, a demand that African countries are increasingly making in their negotiations with buyers.  This is also an effort by the Trump administration to compete with China for African critical minerals.  

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.  

China and Mozambique Expand Relations

 The South China Morning Post published on 25 April 2026 an article titled "China and Mozambique to Map Critical Minerals in Insurgency-Hit Cabo Delgado" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

During a state visit to China, Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo signed a wide-ranging joint communique dealing with cooperation on critical minerals, natural gas, and rare earths.  China also agreed to provide more support, not spelled out, for combatting an insurgency in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado region.  

Is State Capitalism Best Way to Compete with China for Critical Minerals?

 The Washington Post published on 28 March 2026 an editorial titled "Yet Another Step Toward State Capitalism."

The US International Development Finance Corporation has taken a 20 percent stake in a graphite mine in Mozambique to counter China's control of the world's supply of graphite.  This is a tactic the Trump administration has used in other deals to control critical minerals.  The editorial asks if this is the best use of taxpayer funding when they will be left holding the bag if the company fails.  

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. 

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.  

US, China, Africa, and Critical Minerals

 The Atlantic Council published on 6 June 2025 a study titled "Keeping China at Bay and Critical Minerals Stocked: The Case for US-Africa Defense Collaboration" by Alexsandra Gadzala Tirziu.  

Africa holds one-third of the world's known mineral resources, including 80 percent of platinum and chromium, 47 percent of cobalt, and 21 percent of graphite.  Of the 50 minerals designated as critical by the US Geological Service, 32 are found in Africa.  China accounts for 85 percent of global mineral processing capacity.

The US should help African nations develop their own domestic mineral processing capabilities to build their own self-sufficiency and to diminish China's lock on processing capacity.  This could contribute to a reliable supply source of critical minerals for the Unites States.  It could also strengthen US security alliances with African countries.  

China and the Geopolitics of Critical Minerals

 The African Climate Foundation published on 23 September 2022 a report titled "Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Renewable Energy Supply Chains" by Antonio Andreoni, SOAS University of London, and Simon Roberts, University of Johannesburg.  

In 2019, China was the top producing country of graphite and rare earth elements and third highest producer of copper and lithium.  It had the highest share of any country of processing volume for copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements.  

China's corporate control over total African mine production in 2018 was a modest 6.7 percent.  The British international mining company, Anglo American, exercised the most control at 14.9 percent.  Nevertheless, in 2021, China Molybdenum controlled more than one-tenth of the world's cobalt and Chinese companies strengthened their grip over rare earth elements.