Critical Minerals in Africa: Strengthening Security, Supporting Development, and Reducing Conflict amid Geopolitical … – United States Institute of Peace

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USIP Senior Study Group Final Report
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 / By: USIP Senior Study Group on Critical Minerals in Africa
Publication Type: Report
The United States Institute of Peace convened a senior study group to explore the role Africa plays in the United States’ efforts to diversify US critical mineral supply chains and how new investment in partnerships with African countries could help drive economic development and strengthen peace and security on the African continent. Based on meetings and interviews with relevant technical, operational, and policy experts, the study group developed multiple recommendations for the United States to support mutually beneficial public and private partnerships with African nations. These partnerships could help diversify critical mineral supply chains; strengthen the rule of law, transparency, and environmental and labor standards around African critical minerals; and foster peace and stability through greater US commercial engagement.

US economic and national security depends on a reliable supply of critical minerals that underlie an array of products and services important to ever-changing modern economies. Yet for many critical minerals (e.g., cobalt, graphite, and manganese), the United States is heavily dependent on imports. Especially concerning is that the United States is at or near 100 percent reliant on “foreign entities of concern”—mainly the People’s Republic of China—for key critical minerals.
Global demand for many critical minerals is growing rapidly. Accelerated demand forecasts are largely based on assumptions regarding a global transition to nonfuel-based energy sources, including high-end batteries for electric vehicles and power storage. However, critical minerals are also essential to powering all manner of consumer electronics, medical supplies, and high-performance metals and engines, including those used for defense and military applications. Consequently, regardless of how market and policy factors may change the trajectory of an energy transition, demand for key critical minerals is very likely to grow as economies worldwide increasingly electrify and modernize. To avoid being shorthanded and vulnerable to export controls and potential market manipulation by geopolitical competitors, it is imperative for the United States to diversify its critical minerals supply chains.
Africa can play an important role in strengthening US critical minerals supply chain security. The United States and allied countries already depend on many critical minerals that are sourced from African countries. But increasing supply is not a simple matter. The development of natural resources on the continent has had a checkered past, and critical minerals are no exception. Ventures of the Russian-led paramilitary Wagner Group in Mali, Sudan, and elsewhere are cases in a long history of predatory mining activities in Africa. Thus, it should not be assumed that the global rush for critical minerals will be beneficial to African development and security. Here, the United States, its allies, and the private sector can play a positive role—including by offering a better alternative to an approach to extracting Africa’s critical minerals common to Chinese companies, which too often has offered little local value and has resulted in corruption and human rights abuses, including child labor exploitation. US mining and related companies could be much more engaged, however, as they remain largely absent from the continent. 
While the Biden administration and Congress have stepped up efforts to support US companies in African markets—by de-risking and otherwise supporting investments—progress is relative, and there is no indication that China and other competitors are retreating. In fact, the list of economic competitors in Africa is growing, with Gulf States and others intensifying their interest in African critical minerals. If the United States wants to remain competitive on the global stage, it must step up its efforts to diversify US critical minerals supply chains, including in Africa.  
The study group reviewed US policy initiatives and explored key challenges, issues, and opportunities associated with meeting US critical minerals objectives, primarily with a focus on further engaging Africa and challenging China’s dominance. The group’s overarching conclusion is that the US government should act with increased speed, focus, and decisiveness to support Africans in equitably and responsibly developing critical minerals. In doing so, it should engage African countries in mutually beneficial partnerships aimed at bringing peace, prosperity, and community stability to African citizens. Forging such partnerships will not be easy, but doing so could establish the United States and its allies as Africa’s preferred partners in supporting the continent’s critical minerals development. 
Following is a list of 13 broad policy recommendations and actions developed by the study group to further US-Africa partnerships on critical minerals development and supply chain diversification:
Global critical minerals markets are rapidly evolving, driven by new policies and technologies.
Africans often express a sense of urgency when discussing their major opportunity to tap natural resources and fuel positive development—as the critical minerals of today may not be critical tomorrow. Given this sense of urgency and the United States’ strong interest in furthering its engagement on the continent, the potential for critical minerals partnerships that work for both Americans and Africans is high. For these partnerships to be successful, though, much more work is needed.
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