As the competition between global powers for Africa’s critical minerals intensifies, Zambia’s president is urging the continent to resist pressure to pick favorites. President Hakainde Hichilema told the Financial Times that resource-rich African countries should resist pressure to align politically in exchange for investment. “When I’m in Beijing, I’m not against Washington. When I’m in Washington, we’re not against Beijing,” he said. “We want to make sure that we do business with anyone in a manner that will deliver mutual benefits.”
Zambia is itself a major copper producer, and Hichilema argues the country’s position has never been stronger. Policy reforms and fiscal stability introduced since he took office in 2021 have revived what he described as a “comatose” mining sector, attracting more than $12bn in investment. The country is on track to produce one million tonnes of copper this year, with a target of three million tonnes annually by 2031.
The debate is playing out across the continent in different ways. South Africa’s mining minister criticized a controversial deal that gives US buyers preferential treatment for minerals sold by the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Zambia recently moved to allow miners to pay taxes in Chinese renminbi.
Hichilema’s message is clear: Africa’s mineral wealth is its leverage, and the continent should use it on its own terms rather than being drawn into the rivalries of others.
