African miners at open-pit site with ore moving toward ports and global markets, symbolising critical minerals supply chain.

Critical Minerals Circuits: Who Controls the Chain from Mine to Market?

Critical minerals have become the backbone of the global energy transition. Lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and rare earths are essential inputs for batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.…
Old mining contracts stacked in front of an African mine site, symbolising rigid agreements that limit Africa’s resource governance and just transition.

Mining Agreements in Africa: Breaking Free from the Past

In 1998, the government of a mineral-rich African nation signed a 30-year agreement with a global mining company. The deal promised jobs, infrastructure, and royalties. Two decades later, communities around…