ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract
The accelerating global transition toward clean energy has intensified international competition for critical minerals required for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and advanced battery systems. Central and Southern Africa have emerged as strategic regions due to their abundant deposits of cobalt, copper, lithium, graphite, manganese, and rare earth elements, attracting increased geopolitical engagement from China and the United States. This study examines how the contemporary contest for these critical minerals reflects evolving forms of postcolonial power relations, dependency, and African agency. Drawing on postcolonial theory, the paper investigates whether current investment, infrastructure, and supply chain strategies reproduce neo-colonial patterns or create opportunities for greater economic autonomy. The study adopts a qualitative research design based exclusively on secondary data obtained from peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, government reports, and publications by international organisations. Using thematic content analysis, the study finds that although China and the United States pursue competing strategic interests through distinct economic and diplomatic approaches, African states increasingly exercise agency by renegotiating resource governance, promoting local beneficiation, and diversifying international partnerships. The paper contributes to scholarship by integrating postcolonial theory with contemporary geopolitical competition over critical clean-energy minerals, offering insights into resource governance and sustainable development in Africa's emerging green economy.
Keywords: Critical minerals; Postcolonialism; China; United States; Central, East and Southern Africa; Green Transition; Resource Governance.