
Africa Intelligence Brief
Africa Intelligence Brief July 20 — Security crises in Mali, Sudan and DRC deepen anxiety, while a record diamond in...
July 20, 2026Africa holds the minerals the energy transition cannot happen without: more than two-thirds of the world’s cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, vast copper in the DRC and Zambia, lithium in Zimbabwe, plus manganese, graphite and the rare earths every great power now wants to control. The Rio Times tracks the mines, deals, export rules and the contest among China, the US and the Gulf for Africa’s critical-minerals supply chain – and what it means for resource-rich Latin America, which faces the same price-taker-or-leverage choice. This hub gathers our coverage of Africa’s minerals economy.

Africa Intelligence Brief July 20 — Security crises in Mali, Sudan and DRC deepen anxiety, while a record diamond in...
July 20, 2026
Record-breaking global heatwaves and the AI data-centre boom are pushing electricity grids to breaking point. As the Middle East and...
July 20, 2026
Anefis ambush: Tuareg separatists and JNIM killed at least 50 Malian soldiers near Tabankort, exposing weak control of northern Mali's...
July 20, 2026
Algeria's record 2026 budget totals US$135.6 billion, with about US$25 billion for defence, roughly a fifth of spending, and a...
July 19, 2026
Angola–UAE non-oil trade reached $2.1 billion in 2024, driven by diamonds and logistics, with a CEPA targeting $10 billion annually...
July 19, 2026
Africa private capital tripled to a record $16.1 billion in Q1 2026, driven by MTN’s $6.2B IHS Nigeria buy and...
July 19, 2026
Cameroon expects annual mining revenue to top $1.75B, overtaking oil as three iron ore projects absorb $3.1B by 2030. New...
July 19, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief July 18 — UN sanctions hit Congo armed groups, Uganda mourns 20 schoolchildren, Senegal sees a political...
July 18, 2026
Sudan is preparing US lawsuits against the UAE over alleged RSF backing, citing gold-for-arms networks and a severed diplomatic relationship...
July 18, 2026Brazil runoff date: Sunday, October 25, poll closing times and when results start · Brazil runoff polls: Flávio 51%, Lula 49% · Kalshi and Polymarket odds