Africa urged to seize role in US critical minerals supply
WASHINGTON, October 9, 2025, ENN: African nations should position themselves as key partners for the United States in securing supplies of critical minerals essential to modern industries, according to a new report from the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution.
The report, Leveraging US–Africa Critical Mineral Opportunities: Strategies for Success, argues that Africa’s mineral wealth and improving governance make it uniquely placed to strengthen US supply chains. It notes that 35 African countries already produce at least one critical mineral, and the continent holds about 30 per cent of global proven reserves.
Brookings says Africa’s comparative advantages, such as rich reserves, existing mining capacity and growing infrastructure, can attract US investors seeking to reduce reliance on China. The paper highlights examples of rapid production growth in cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bauxite from Guinea, and lithium from Zimbabwe.
To maximise these opportunities, the report proposes five actions for African governments: create national coordinators for mining and energy sectors, accelerate approvals for new projects, enforce environmental standards, expand regional coordination under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and link mineral investments to job creation through infrastructure and industrial corridors.
The study also points to Africa’s December 2024 Green Minerals Strategy, which aims to align mining development with sustainable growth and regional cooperation.
‘Africa can position itself as a reliable partner in strengthening the global value chain of critical minerals,’ the report concludes, adding that coordinated engagement with the US could secure long-term investment and technology transfer.
Brookings suggests that African nations pursue bilateral investment promotion and critical minerals agreements with Washington, while the US should adopt a more coherent ‘minerals diplomacy’ to compete with China and the European Union in the region.
The report was written by Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Landry Signé and Vera Songwe from the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative. See: Leveraging US-Africa Critical Mineral Opportunities: Strategies for Success — Brookings. Photo by Tom Fisk.
