Mapping Africa’s Green Mineral Partnerships

The report by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) analyzes the landscape of bilateral and multilateral agreements between African states and global powers to secure critical minerals essential for the green energy and digital transitions. It examines the strategies of twelve key actors—including China, Russia, the EU, and the US—highlighting a trend toward resource diplomacy driven by national security concerns and the need to diversify supply chains away from dominant suppliers.

• State-to-state mineral agreements are characterized by a significant lack of transparency and public accessibility, with many containing vague, non-binding provisions that make their specific terms difficult to determine.
• Global actors employ diverse strategies to secure minerals: some focus on direct state cooperation and funding, while others prioritize creating an enabling environment for private sector investment, which may result in slower tangible outcomes.
• China maintains a dominant position in African critical mineral supply chains through a high-risk appetite and an integrated approach, often securing mining rights in high-risk areas and channeling materials directly to Chinese processing facilities.
• Russia utilizes a unique 'security provision for mining concessions' model, where its private military company, Africa Corps (formerly the Wagner Group), provides military and protection services in exchange for access to mining concessions in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
• The European Union's strategy focuses on diversifying suppliers through raw materials partnerships with Namibia, the DRC, Zambia, and Rwanda, underpinned by five main pillars and the 'Global Gateway' initiative to counter Chinese influence.
• The United States prioritizes expanding domestic production and utilizes multilateral frameworks, such as the US-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) and the Energy Resource Governance Initiative, to reduce reliance on 'foreign entities of concern' like China and Russia.
• Saudi Arabia and the UAE are expanding their influence in Africa to diversify their economies beyond oil, with Saudi Arabia aspiring to be a 'hub' for a 'super-region' encompassing Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
• India's approach is driven by a need to reduce high reliance on China, leading to partnerships with nine African states and participation in the US-led MSP to counterbalance Chinese dominance.
• African states are not passive participants; leaders in countries like South Africa, Zambia, and the DRC actively shape agreements and strategically select partners to align with national and regional interests.
• The selection of bilateral partners is often influenced by historical allegiances and existing cross-sector cooperation, such as the UK's partnerships with Commonwealth members Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia.

APA

Beuter, P. (2025). Mapping Africa’s Green Mineral Partnerships. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/mapping-africas-green-mineral-partnerships

Chicago

Beuter, Pia. Mapping Africa’s Green Mineral Partnerships. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/mapping-africas-green-mineral-partnerships.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Beuter |first1=Pia |title=Mapping Africa’s Green Mineral Partnerships |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=20 January 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/mapping-africas-green-mineral-partnerships |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{beuter2025mapping, author = {Beuter, Pia}, title = {{Mapping Africa’s Green Mineral Partnerships}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://afripoli.org/mapping-africas-green-mineral-partnerships}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }