Critical Minerals in Africa: News, Explainers and Odds
Africa holds a large share of the world's cobalt, manganese and platinum-group metals, and the Democratic Republic of Congo alone mines most of the world's cobalt. Washington, Beijing, the Gulf states and Europe now compete for those supplies, while governments from Kinshasa to Harare use export bans, royalties and ownership rules to keep more of the value at home.
This page gathers our reporting, explainers and the latest prediction-market odds on the continent's critical minerals in one place. It updates automatically whenever we publish a new story.
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Country Explainers
- DR Congo Explained 2026: The M23 War, the Cobalt Economy, the Politics and What to Watch
- Zambia Explained: The Country, Its Copper Economy, Its Politics and What to Watch
- Guinea Explained: Doumbouya’s Rule, Bauxite, Simandou Iron Ore and What to Watch
- Niger Explained: The Junta, Uranium, Oil and the Break With West Africa
- Mali Explained: The Junta, the Gold and the Jihadist War Nearing Bamako
- Zimbabwe Explained: The ZiG Currency, the Politics, the Economy and What to Watch
- Namibia Explained: The Country, the Oil Hopes, the Economy and What to Watch
- Kenya Natural Resources Explained 2026
- Nigeria Natural Resources Explained 2026
Minerals and Countries
DR Congo: Cobalt and Copper
The world's largest cobalt producer and a major copper miner: ownership rules, Chinese operators and the war in the east.
- Congo’s Regulator Orders Two Glencore Mines to Drop 1,540 Suppliers17 Sep
- Congo Has Worked Out That the Map Is Worth More Than the Mine8 Sep
- Congo’s Copper Mines Are Building the Power Stations the State Never Could8 Sep
- KoBold Metals Just Got Its First Lithium Ground in Congo1 Sep
Zambia and the Lobito Corridor
Copperbelt mines, smelters and the rail line that links them to the Atlantic.
- Zambia Says Lobito Corridor Road Financing Is Secured6 Oct
- Zambia’s State Miner Accuses Abu Dhabi Investor of Breaching Copper Deal30 Sep
- Zambia Tells Copper Miners to Buy Local While Courting UAE Investors29 Sep
- Avocado Mining Pleads Guilty in Zambia Copper Case28 Sep
Lithium, Rare Earths and Graphite
Zimbabwe's raw-lithium export ban, Kenya's rare-earth tender and graphite and lithium projects across the continent.
West Africa: Iron Ore, Bauxite, Uranium and Gold
Guinea's Simandou iron ore and bauxite, Niger's uranium and the gold sector from Ghana to Mali.
- Guinea Opens Nearly 12 km Simandou Tunnel at Kindia13 Oct
- Guinea Exports First Refined Gold Bars on 9 October12 Oct
- Ghana Grows 6% as Gold Lifts Exports, Reserves Dip5 Oct
- Ghana and Kyrgyzstan Open Gold Mining Talks2 Oct
Southern Africa: Platinum, Chrome and Uranium
South African platinum, chrome and mining taxes, Namibian uranium and Zimbabwe's mining rules.
- South African Mining Falls 12.7% in August13 Oct
- South Africa Mining Taxes Double to US$3 Billion7 Oct
- South African Miner MC Mining Halves Loss to US$17.8M1 Oct
- South African Mining Faces El Niño Water Risks13 Sep
The Buyers: US, China and the Gulf
Washington, Beijing, the Gulf states and India in African mines, and the deals that follow.
- Sudan Minerals Bill Sets 3 Tests for US Deal15 Oct
- Eritrea Just Came Off the US Sanctions List. Its Mines Are Chinese19 Sep
- China’s Zijin Took 9.2% of the Miner Building Ethiopia’s Kurmuk25 Aug
- The SADC Summit in Durban Puts Critical Minerals at the Centre16 Aug
What the Markets Say
Source: Polymarket, prices as of 15 October, 09:25 Lisbon. Market prices are bets, not forecasts by The Rio Times.
Latest on Critical Minerals in Africa
- Sudan Minerals Bill Sets 3 Tests for US Deal15 Oct
- South African Mining Falls 12.7% in August13 Oct
- Guinea Opens Nearly 12 km Simandou Tunnel at Kindia13 Oct
- Guinea Exports First Refined Gold Bars on 9 October12 Oct
- South Africa Mining Taxes Double to US$3 Billion7 Oct
- Zambia Says Lobito Corridor Road Financing Is Secured6 Oct
- Rainbow Rare Earths Says US Listing Could Come in 20276 Oct
- Ghana Grows 6% as Gold Lifts Exports, Reserves Dip5 Oct
- Ghana and Kyrgyzstan Open Gold Mining Talks2 Oct
- South African Miner MC Mining Halves Loss to US$17.8M1 Oct
- Zambia’s State Miner Accuses Abu Dhabi Investor of Breaching Copper Deal30 Sep
- Australian Miner Moves to Restart Lithium Search in Côte d’Ivoire30 Sep
- Zambia Tells Copper Miners to Buy Local While Courting UAE Investors29 Sep
- Avocado Mining Pleads Guilty in Zambia Copper Case28 Sep
- Niger Doubles Its Stake in a Big Uranium Project to 40%, Ending a Lawsuit27 Sep
- Burkina Faso Explained: Traoré’s Junta, the Jihadist War, Gold and What to Watch26 Sep
- Kenya Shortlists Six Bidders for Its Rare Earths. Two Are American.24 Sep
- Ivory Coast Freezes Small-Scale Mine Permits as State Bank Meets Miners22 Sep
- Zambia’s Nchanga Copper Smelter Restarts After 106-Day Shutdown22 Sep
- Gabon Promises Port-Gentil a Steel Plant, 50 MW of Power and Rare Earths20 Sep