The second scramble for Africa

If Africa is to protect its mineral wealth, it must act now

- Meshack Mboya

Risk: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned against allowing the continent's mineral wealth to be plundered.

(AU)

During the 39th African Union Summit last month, Africa's critical minerals took centre stage. For a good reason. Addressing the summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasised that Africa's mineral wealth must serve the interests of its people.

Guterres warned against repeating historical patterns of extraction, saying there should be "no more exploitation" and "no more plundering" of the continent's mineral wealth.

The summit coincided with the Munich Security meeting, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid bare the future of Trump's foreign policy in Africa: one geared towards access to and control over the continent's mineral resources. Rubio left little doubt that the US considers critical minerals as a core element of the strategic supply chain sovereignty of the US and its partners.

The summit came hard on the heels of the controversial US-DRC minerals deal in December last year that granted American companies priority access to the Congolese vast mineral wealth. Signed alongside the US-brokered "peace" deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the arrangement guarantees US mining firms the "right of first offer" on mining projects in the country that holds large reserves of critical minerals such as cobalt, copper and lithium.

Under the deal, the East African country is required to amend its mining laws, tax policies, fiscal regulations and potentially, its constitution, within 12 months, to provide preferential treatment for US interests.