Critical Raw Materials: Geopolitical chess or tug-of-war for development?

Critical raw materials are vital for the EU’s green transition and offer African countries a path to green industrialisation. However, both face policy dilemmas: Africa must efficiently use resources within, and share them between, countries, in a context where there has been a struggle between cooperation and competition. The EU seeks to derisk supply chains from China and maintain industrial leadership.

Poorva Karkare talks to Christian-Géraud Neema, Africa editor of the China-Global South Project and expert analyst of China-Africa relations, to discuss how these different moving parts fit together. The discussion brings the often sidelined African perspective on industrial partnerships with the global powers, the motivations for African countries in choosing their partners and what is needed from the EU to succeed in the new multi-polararity ever more revealed by industrial relations on the African continent.

This podcast follows our paper Resource nationalism in the age of green industrialisation, which looks at different narratives around resource nationalism and how, in practice, countries often have to make a choice among different – economic, social, political – priorities. Zooming in on the cases of Indonesia and Chile, the paper draws lessons for African countries as well as Europe.