Africa’s critical minerals boom: The rise of a new resource nationalism

2026-03-18 - 00:02

The world is speedily racing towards a zero-carbon future. Africa, with its abundant critical mineral endowment (lithium, cobalt, and copper), has been placed at the epicentre of this modern “gold rush”. In a bid to avoid centuries-old characterisation as just rent seekers, many African countries are increasingly changing the model of mineral value chains.