Pacific Money | Economy | East Asia | South Asia

The Africa Pivot: India and Japan’s Quest for Critical Mineral Security

India and Japan are betting on Africa’s critical minerals as the two Asian powers explore joint investment to secure supplies and expand mining capabilities across Africa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sane to Hyderabad House, New Delhi, India, July 2, 2026.

A new axis is emerging in the global race for resources, and the Indian Ocean serves as a bridge. It is emerging as a critical corridor linking Africa’s mineral wealth to Asia’s industrial ambitions. Africa sits at one end of a strategic corridor, and its minerals are becoming the new terrain of strategic competition. 

The continent is home to critical minerals essential for the global energy transition, including 55 percent of the world’s cobalt, 47.65 percent of its manganese, 21.6 percent of its graphite, 5.9 percent of its copper, and 0.6 percent of its iron ore. Africa is already emerging as a priority in ongoing India-Japan discussions on economic security and supply chains and, as the India-Japan leaders’ recent summit and the subsequent India-Japan Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation confirmed, it now sits squarely within the partnership’s formal architecture. Backed by the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum, a new JETRO strategic report, and renewed focus on the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), India and Japan are positioning themselves to deepen cooperation in critical minerals, digital infrastructure, healthcare, green energy, and resilient supply chains across the Global South, seeing it as an opportunity for the next phase of investment. At the heart of this push is Africa, where the race for critical minerals is reshaping economic partnerships into long-term strategic leverage.

Get to the bottom of the story

Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage.

Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won't find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year.

Unlimited articles and expert analysis

Weekly newsletter with exclusive insights

16-year archive of diplomatic coverage

Ad-free reading on all devices

Support independent journalism

Already have an account? Log in.

A new axis is emerging in the global race for resources, and the Indian Ocean serves as a bridge. It is emerging as a critical corridor linking Africa’s mineral wealth to Asia’s industrial ambitions. Africa sits at one end of a strategic corridor, and its minerals are becoming the new terrain of strategic competition. 

The continent is home to critical minerals essential for the global energy transition, including 55 percent of the world’s cobalt, 47.65 percent of its manganese, 21.6 percent of its graphite, 5.9 percent of its copper, and 0.6 percent of its iron ore. Africa is already emerging as a priority in ongoing India-Japan discussions on economic security and supply chains and, as the India-Japan leaders’ recent summit and the subsequent India-Japan Joint Declaration........

© The Diplomat