Africa's Regional Blocs Must Prevent a Silent Scramble for Critical Minerals

Africa's Regional Blocs Must Prevent a Silent Scramble for Critical Minerals

Guest Column - A new scramble for Africa is underway. It is not marked by warships or colonial flags, but by battery supply chains, green transition targets, and high-level trade delegations. The race is for lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, platinum group metals and rare earth elements — the minerals powering electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and digital infrastructure.