Africa’s mineral goldmine: India’s geopolitical checkmate on China in critical minerals race | Explained | India News
Africa’s geopolitical landscape is rapidly evolving from multipolar rivalries and resource nationalism to transactional power games; The continent’s vast critical mineral reserves are emerging as a crucial battleground.
Africa is cleverly adapting its geopolitics in a chaotic world, using multipolarity, resource nationalism, and deal-based diplomacy to gain greater power amid uncertainty.
Challenges such as collapsing democracies, Sahel coups, endless wars like Sudan, debt burdens and climate disasters have weakened old group alliances and led African countries to make one-on-one agreements and gain influence with rivals such as the USA, China, Russia and Gulf countries fighting over mines and ports.
Resource nationalism is gaining ground on the African Continent, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s cobalt export bans and Zimbabwe’s lithium storage rules.
Countries are demanding local processing facilities instead of crude exports to gain more value. The African Union is pushing unified strategies such as the critical minerals road map for joint bargaining; while South-South pacts, such as the India-Africa MoUs for technology transfers, help turn vulnerabilities into leverage.
Regional blocs, including the Sahel’s Alliance of Sahelian States, are increasing Africa’s bargaining power by demanding enforceable solidarity through common security and mining agreements.
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Inda’s Critical Minerals Mission
Through its ambitious National Critical Minerals Mission, India is leveraging evolving African geopolitics to forge strategic partnerships between countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Mozambique, offering transparent technology transfers and capacity building in contrast to China’s debt-laden dominance.
India’s National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM), approved in early 2025, aims to secure supplies of more than 30 minerals essential for electric vehicles, renewables, defense and semiconductors by reducing import dependency under China’s dominance by 100%.
The strategy blends aggressive domestic exploration, mineral acquisitions, targeting Africa such as DRC cobalt and Zambian copper, battery and e-waste recycling, research and development centers to add value and create jobs, while leveraging partnerships aligned with Africa’s resource nationalism.
India-Africa energy ties
India has developed critical mineral partnerships with Africa through high-level visits and agreements. In March 2025, Indian Ministry of Mines officials visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to negotiate cobalt-copper supply agreements with joint ventures at the Tenke Fungurume mines, following President Félix Tshisekedi’s trip to Delhi.
In October 2025, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal finalized Zambia’s allocation of a 9,000 square kilometer exploration block for copper-cobalt in response to President Hakainde Hichilema’s summit in New Delhi.
Similarly, during the Africa-India Summit held virtually in December 2025 in New Delhi, cooperation on critical minerals was facilitated amid global supply chain tensions.
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech during the India-Africa summit, Africa’s 30% share in global reserves was highlighted; A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Mozambique for graphite and rare earth minerals; Zimbabwe made a deal with Zambia for lithium, copper and cobalt blocks; An agreement was reached with South Africa on manganese processing; In line with India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ agreement, an investment of $150 billion is targeted by 2030 through G2G and special agreements. Vision.
The growing rapprochement between India and Africa set the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark tri-nation tour in 2025, his maiden visit to Ethiopia, where he held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, addressed Parliament, signed MoUs on debt restructuring and digital infrastructure, and received Ethiopia’s highest civilian award; This further elevated the ties to a strategic partnership.
Mutual high-level exchanges such as Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi’s visit to Delhi and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s New Delhi summit, as well as South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa’s trip to India, have accelerated the path for the mining MoU while countering unilateralism by aligning India’s NCMM with Africa’s green minerals strategy for technology transfers, renewable energies and BRICS synergies.
Fighting Against China in the Rare Earth Race
Although Africa has large untapped reserves, Beijing controls more than 90% of the world’s processing industry. New Delhi, through the National Critical Minerals Mission, is challenging China’s dominance in the race for rare earth minerals through fair partnerships with technological assistance, local factories and no debt trap unlike China’s credit model for resources.
2025 has been beneficial for India-Africa ties; Agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt and rare earth elements, with Zambia for copper, and agreements from Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ethiopia were also achieved, as well as the India-Africa Summit, which demonstrated India’s growing closeness with African countries.
The ongoing Sino-US rivalry and Trump tariffs have triggered Chinese export bans on rare earths and magnets, forcing a tumultuous ceasefire in 2026. With African agreements, India is breaking China’s dominance and strengthening its ties to the Global South.
