The United States is rapidly ramping up efforts to forge critical-mineral partnerships across Africa and the Americas in a bid to secure supply chains for the metals essential to clean energy, digital infrastructure, and defence technologies. This strategy is part of a broader geopolitical shift, as Washington positions itself at the centre of a more resilient, non-Chinese global minerals network.
U.S. Push for Mineral Supply Security: A Geopolitical Shift
The United States currently imports the majority of the minerals it consumes, including key battery metals like cobalt, nickel, lithium, and manganese; industrial metals such as copper and aluminium; and rare earth elements crucial for electronics. While China dominates the refining and processing of these materials, this dependency has given the country significant leverage over global supply chains.
In response, Washington has launched an ambitious strategy to reduce its reliance on China by strengthening ties with mineral-rich nations in Africa and Latin America. Through initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act, Defence Production Act funding, and strategic bilateral agreements, the U.S. aims to secure politically aligned sources for these critical minerals while driving co-investment in extraction, refining, and processing.
Africa’s Strategic Role in the U.S. Mineral Supply Chain
Africa is at the core of Washington’s strategy. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a critical metal for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage. Zambia holds high-grade copper reserves, while Namibia and Botswana are emerging as key sources of uranium and rare earth elements. The U.S. has committed to supporting these nations with technical assistance, transparency frameworks, and financing to help modernise their mining sectors and expand local processing capabilities.
Latin America: Key Partnerships for Lithium and Beyond
In parallel, the United States is building stronger ties with resource-rich countries in Latin America. Argentina and Chile are central to global lithium production, vital for the growing electric vehicle market and renewable energy systems. Brazil, with its vast niobium reserves and expanding nickel capacity, plays a key role in the global metals landscape. Canada, with its well-established mining industry, remains a critical partner in North America.
Washington is working to align regional standards, environmental regulations, and incentivise cross-border joint ventures to enhance cooperation in mineral development. These partnerships aim to increase both raw material supply and the region’s ability to refine and process these metals, adding value before export.
Challenges Ahead: Domestic Value, Political Shifts, and Sustainability
Despite the growing strategic importance of these partnerships, several challenges persist. In Africa, many governments are becoming more assertive in demanding greater domestic value from mineral extraction, pushing for increased local processing and industrialisation. This could create tensions with U.S.-backed supply chains that seek to integrate vertically from extraction to processing.
In Latin America, political shifts — from rising resource nationalism to increased environmental activism — further complicate the investment landscape. While governments in the region are keen to attract investment, they also face growing demands from their populations for environmental protection, social equity, and sustainable development practices.
The Geopolitical Implications: Leveraging Mineral Power
As the U.S. seeks to counter China’s dominance in the mineral supply chain, countries across Africa and Latin America are gaining new leverage in negotiations. Those able to strategically navigate this shift stand to secure better revenue terms, infrastructure investment, and industrial partnerships, which could transform their economies and boost long-term development.
Washington’s new mineral diplomacy marks a departure from previous models of globalisation. Rather than passively sourcing raw materials, the U.S. aims to reshape the architecture of global supply chains, ensuring that mineral-rich countries are integrated into a more secure, diversified system.
Building Trust and Modernising Industrial Strategies
The success of this strategy will hinge on the U.S.’s ability to build trust with its partners and respect the political and economic sovereignty of the nations involved. As these nations modernise their industrial strategies to process and add value to minerals locally, they will need to strike a balance between attracting foreign investment and maintaining control over their natural resources.
Washington’s long-term vision is clear: a more secure, diversified, and collaborative global minerals ecosystem. Whether this vision will succeed will depend on the ability to forge strong, transparent partnerships and help these nations build sustainable, value-added industries without sacrificing their sovereignty.
