Opinion: US mineral strategy turns to Africa 

What do Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal all have in common? They’re all countries located along Africa’s west coast. 

But they’re also small; collectively, these five countries have an insignificant GDP of around $75 billion.  

However, the leaders of these five countries were given a special one-on-one invitation to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in July. This privilege hasn’t been extended to many of the world’s major economies, including U.S. allies like Australia. 

So, what’s going on? The U.S. president is a busy man. He sits in the middle of a global tariff war, is attempting to negotiate peace in Ukraine and Gaza, managing an escalating Iran-Israeli conflict, all while trying to manage the break-up of one of his closest political buddies, Elon Musk! 

Surely Trump has better things to do than meet with a bunch of leaders from a place he probably couldn’t put on a map! As with everything U.S. strategy-related these days, I have no doubt that this event is rooted in mineral security.  

Trump wants access to the small bounty held within these little West African nations. But I think there’s far more to it than this. 

You see, each of these five countries sits along the Atlantic Ocean, directly across from America. 

Source: Google Maps

So, while there’s perhaps some mineral importance among this group of nations, I believe this has more to do with geography; their position along the Atlantic Coast.   

Africa’s major mineral wealth lies somewhere in the middle. A region that hosts the world’s highest grade copper mines, but is still vastly underexplored. It’s called the Central African Copper Belt and runs through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. I once worked there as an exploration geologist. 

And I believe right now, America is doing all it can to secure safe passage for the raw materials that sit in Africa’s deep heart. In fact, the U.S. has already invested billions in upgrading ports and railway lines in Angola, another nation on Africa’s west coast. America is helping to restore a major railway corridor linking Central African mines to Angola’s ports.  

And this critical U.S. strategy crosses both sides of the political divide, Republicans and Democrats. Last year, former president Joe Biden became the first U.S. leader (ever) to visit this backwater African nation. Such was its importance.  

Quiet, major moves 

It’s rooted in securing America’s supply of raw materials. And gaining safe and secure access across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Why is that important? Sun Tzu states in The Art of War: “Be where your enemy is not.” 

And that might be the point here. With a direct link across the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. can secure the safe passage of Africa’s mineral wealth in the event of a potential major global conflict in which shipping lanes may be threatened. We live in a period of uncertainty, and secure supply chains of raw materials are vital to keeping economies functioning. 

Investment angle? 

As a former geo, I’ve spent plenty of time in Africa. 

Most of that was in the Central African Copper Belt, which is a key part of what I believe is the core of America’s mineral strategy. I’ve seen (first-hand) the projects that will benefit as the U.S. government invests billions in securing its footprint in this part of the world. It’s set to build railways, highways, processing facilities and ports. 

So, is there an investment angle here? Well, mining companies typically have to foot the cost of infrastructure themselves. Moving raw ore from the mine to global markets is a significant part of their capex build-out.    

But given America’s anxiety over mineral supply, the U.S. taxpayer could soon cover much of that cost! Making it easier (and cheaper) for miners to get their raw material onto the market.  

That means higher profit margins for the international producers developing or actively mining in the Central African Copper Belt. 

There is always a select handful of beneficiaries from major government initiatives. In this case, international miners in Africa could benefit most. 

James Cooper is a geologist based in Australia who runs the commodities investment service Diggers and Drillers. You can also follow him on X @JCooperGeo.