How China and the US Pursue African Critical Minerals

 China-Africa Security Radar published on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Fragmented Leverage: Why African States Call for Collective Bargaining but Prefer Bilateralism in Critical Minerals Negotiations" by Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah.

The author explains how China and the United States seek advantage with African countries in bilateral negotiations in their quest for critical minerals.  China exploits bilateral negotiations through processing dominance and bundled infrastructure-mineral deals.  The United States pursues selective frameworks and corridor diplomacy.  

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.  

Zimbabwe Shuts Down Chinese Lithium Company for Fraud

 Discovery Alert published on 16 July 2026 an article titled "San Ding Lithium Shutdown: Zimbabwe's $3.65M Mining Fraud Exposed" by Muflih Hidayat.  

Zimbabwe holds Africa's largest lithium reserves and Chinese companies have invested more than $2 billion in the lithium sector.  China's San Ding Lithium operated through the fabrication of receipts and invoices to disguise fund diversions.  Zimbabwe charged two San Ding Lithium officials with two charges of fraud and shut down the company.

Namibia Signs 8 Cooperation Agreements with China

 Discovery Alert posted on 11 July 2026 an article titled "Namibia's Oil, Uranium & Lithium Strategic Partnership with China 2026" by Muflih Hidayat.  

The China-Namibia strategic partnership entered a new chapter in July 2026 when Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made a state visit to China.  She signed 8 cooperation agreements that focus on green minerals, uranium, lithium, oil and gas, ports, technology transfer, and clean energy.

Namibian President Visits China: Focus on Critical Minerals and Manufacturing

 Pan African Television posted on 8 July 2026 an article titled "Namibia's President Visits China for Talks on Minerals, Green Hydrogen, and Manufacturing" by Victoria Wilson.

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is on a state visit to China.  Her priority is attracting investment in minerals processing and downstream manufacturing.  Namibia aims to process 57 percent of its exported minerals locally by 2030.

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.   

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.  

China, US, EU Competition for Critical Minerals in Africa and Latin America

Modern Diplomacy published on 21 May 2026 an article titled "Geology Meets Geopolitics: The Global Race for Critical Minerals in the Climate Transition" by Marta Rehnman, Trinity College Dublin.

China dominates the processing of critical minerals in Africa and Latin America.  Beijing has mining partnerships with 44 African countries.  But the United States and European Union are stepping up competition for unexploited mineral reserves in both Africa and Latin America.  

Chinese Arraigned in Nigeria for Illegal Mining

 The Daily Post published on 1 June 2026 an article titled "15 Chinese Nationals, Nine Nigerians Docked Over Alleged Illegal Lithium Mining in Nasarawa" by Chris Johnson.

Nigeria has arraigned 15 Chinese nationals and 9 Nigerians for engaging in the unlawful extraction of lithium.  It is one of the most significant arrests by Nigeria's Mining Marshals.

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.  

Chinese Buying Luxury Houses in Zimbabwe

 Bloomberg published on 3 April 2026 an article titled "For China's Rich, The New Must Have Is a Luxury Home in Zimbabwe."

Chinese companies have been drawn to Zimbabwe for its mineral wealth.  Increasingly, wealthy Chinese immigrants are paying cash for luxury homes in the capital of Harare, driving up housing prices in the process.  

US-China Competition for Minerals in DRC

 Mining Focus Africa published on 30 March 2026 an article titled "Democratic Republic of Congo and China Deepen Mining Ties Amid Global Minerals Race" by Michael Van Wyk.

The focus of the most recent China-DRC minerals collaboration includes geological data sharing, investment protection, and ensuring that more raw materials are processed in the DRC rather than exported in unrefined form.  The agreement coincides with a US strategic partnership with the DRC aimed at boosting Western investment and reducing reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains.  

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.  

China Increases Lithium Investments in DRC

 Discovery Alert posted on 25 March 2026 an article titled "DRC Lithium Project: $1.4B Investment Transforming Africa's Mining Sector" by Muflih Hidayat.

China's Zijin Mining Group will have a 55 percent controlling interest in a $1.4 billion joint investment with the DRC government in a lithium mining project that will potentially contribute almost 5 percent of global mined lithium output by 2028.

The DRC project represents a paradigm shift in how international mining companies approach African mineral extraction.  Rather than focus on raw material export, this approach integrates downstream processing capabilities directly into mining operations.  

Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe Warns Its Mining Companies

 Reuters published on 19 March 2026 an article titled "Beijing Tells Chinese Firms to Strengthen Zimbabwe Risk Prevention after Mineral Export Ban."  

The Chinese embassy in Harare warned Chinese mining companies to uphold local laws and regulations after Zimbabwe suspended exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrate.  

Zimbabwe's Lithium Runs Through China

 Semafor published on 13 March 2026 an article titled "Zimbabwe's Lithium Upgrade Still Runs Through China" by Ray Mwayera.

Zimbabwe produced almost 10 percent of global mined lithium last year and provided about 15 percent of processed lithium in China.  Harare banned exports of raw lithium ore in 2022 and plans to prohibit exports of lithium concentrates by 2027, forcing companies to invest in local processing.  The companies building the lithium infrastructure in Zimbabwe are overwhelmingly Chinese.  This raises the question whether Zimbabwe is building an independent refining sector or simply deepening its role inside China's battery ecosystem.  

Chinese Cobalt Mine in DRC Causes Health Problems

 The Environmental Investigation Agency and PremiCongo published in March 2026 a report titled "Toxic Transition: How the World's Largest Cobalt Producer Has Allegedly Poisoned Communities for Years."

A Chinese company, CMOC Group Ltd., controls two of the world's largest copper-cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Thousands of people live within a few kilometers of the operations and its massive processing plant.  Local communities and civil society groups have sounded the alarm about severe health issues.  Since 2023, doctors and nurses near the mines have treated a growing list of patients.

Chinese Mining-Energy Investments in Zimbabwe

 The South African Institute of International Affairs published in January 2026 a paper titled "Examining Integrated Chinese Mining-Energy Investments in Zimbabwe" by Yaseen Tayob and Adrian Joseph.

The paper assesses Chinese investments in Zimbabwe's mining and energy sectors and shows that they provide identifiable economic value to the Zimbabwean economy, particularly in the country's lithium mining sector.

Illegal Chinese Mining in Nigeria Results in Dustup with US

 China-Africa Security Radar published on 16 February 2026 an analysis titled "Beijing Rejects U.S. Allegations of Financing Terror in Nigeria's Illegal Mining Sector--The Reality Is More Complex."

Prominent Republican members of the US Congress have sponsored a bill that alleges Chinese individuals and companies involved in illegal mining pay "protection money" to Fulani militias and other armed groups to secure access to lithium and gold deposits.  The bill links these militias to terrorist violence that has impacted Nigerian Christian communities.

The Chinese embassy in Abuja issued a strongly worded statement refuting allegations that Chinese nationals are funding militant groups to gain access to minerals in Nigeria's Middle Belt and northwestern region.  

China-Africa Security Radar concludes that it is generally agreed there is illegal Chinese mining in Nigeria, but the culprits are pragmatically paying "rent" to armed groups to access the minerals.

US Strategy for Access to Africa's Critical Minerals Different than China's

 Modern Diplomacy published on 9 February 2026 an article titled "U.S. Tests China's Grip on African Minerals Ahead of Cape Town Indaba" by Sana Khan.  

The US strategy for accessing African critical minerals relies on trading structures that steer African mineral output into US-aligned supply chains still dominated by Chinese refiners.  Washington is seeking to influence mineral flows without replicating China's capital intensive, asset-heavy model.  This approach reduces political and operational exposure but also limits control.