China has established itself as a dominant force in Africa’s mining sector, with a strategic focus on securing essential resources for its manufacturing and energy transition goals. As global demand for critical minerals escalates, China’s involvement in Africa’s mining industry is reshaping the regional dynamics of resource extraction, economic development, and geopolitical influence.

The continent has become the epicenter of an intensifying global competition for critical minerals, as countries scramble to secure supply chains for the materials required to power the energy transition. As such, Africa’s strategic importance has surged as it accounts for approximately 30 percent of the world’s mineral resources, many of which are classified as critical for battery manufacturing and clean energy infrastructure. With global demand for lithium, graphite, cobalt, copper and manganese projected to increase exponentially over the next decade, African nations are position