China and the US are in a race for critical minerals. African countries need to make the rules

James Boafo, Murdoch University; Rochelle Spencer, Murdoch University, and Senyo Dotsey, Università di Torino Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, rare earth elements, and platinum group metals are essential for modern technologies. They are key to industries ranging from electronics and telecommunications to renewable energy, defence, and aerospace systems. The global