Why Africa is critical to China’s electric vehicle race with the West
- Chinese companies are leaders in the refining of critical metals for EV batteries and manufacture of electric cars
- As demand soars, future success in the industry rests on the supply of these resources
As the US and its allies try to reinforce their mineral supply chains to cut dependence on China, Africa will help bridge the supply deficit for minerals essential to the green energy transition, observers say.
In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, various countries are encouraging development and use of electric vehicles (EVs).
Australia, Chile and Argentina remain the key source markets for lithium but Africa is likely to supply a high proportion of the necessary minerals needed for EV rechargeable batteries.
Currently, Chinese companies dominate the exploration and extraction of battery metals from Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe. China sources more than 60 per cent of its cobalt – another EV battery material – from the DRC and since last year, Chinese companies have made acquisitions in Zimbabwe for lithium. China also has interests in other resource-rich African countries, including Zambia, Namibia and South Africa.