Vol 64 No 22

Published 2nd November 2023

China, Europe and the US mull tariff war amid scramble for Africa's green minerals

20 Oct 2023

PREVIEW

Corporate rivalries and geopolitical tensions disrupt markets for electric vehicles | Special Report by Tim Concannon

Expectations for the UN COP28 Climate summit in Dubai next month are muted because their host is a leading fossil fuel economy and because of rising geopolitical tensions.

This year's United States Inflation Reduction Act by President Joe Biden's administration includes hundreds of billions of dollars of green financing in a law to protect US jobs and companies.

Now European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans a similar measure to protect European manufacturers of electric vehicles from what she thinks is susbsidised competition from China.

Our climate editor, Tim Concannon looks at the implications of these rivalries for African economies which supply many of the critical green minerals.

For a detailed analysis of these shifts, read our Special Report here: China, Europe and the US mull tariff war amid scramble for Africa's green minerals

Prepared for Free Article on 08/07/2026 at 06:49. Authorized users may download, save, and print articles for their own use, but may not further disseminate these articles in their electronic form without express written permission from Africa Confidential / Asempa Limited. Contact subscriptions@africa-confidential.com.

Vol 63 No 23 |

Delegates haggle in Egypt as the planet burns

17th November 2022

African leaders argued for the continent's fossil fuels at the UN COP27 summit amid fierce debates over energy access and compensation for climate change

That the UN's climate summit in Sharm el Sheikh has been popularised as the 'African COP' owes as much to the strong African focus of the negotiations as...

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Vol 65 No 13 |

KENYA
CLIMATE CHANGE

Calls grow to regulate ballooning carbon credits

17th June 2024

President William Ruto holds up carbon trading as his country’s next big export but climate activists want much tighter controls

By elevating carbon credits to the top of the climate finance agenda President William Ruto has made Kenya a key player on environment policy in Africa. He has...

Vol 66 No 14 |

Bonn summit exposes rifts and inertia on climate action

8th July 2025

Geopolitical rivalries are sinking the UN treaty to cut carbon emissions and protect developing economies ahead of the Brazil summit in November

The UN’s preparatory climate summit in Bonn from 16-26 June offered a grim portent of what may happen in the main event – the UN COP30 climate summit...

Vol 65 No 17 |

Freetown’s business school buys $4.5m hole in the bush

22nd August 2024

Sierra Leone University lost US$4.5m of public money to a Nigerian company after red flags were ignored and safeguards overridden. Then, they kept it secret

An Africa Confidential Special Report By Josef Skrdlik and Andrew Weir

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Vol 65 No 23 |

Russian sanctions-busters find a Gambian haven

14th November 2024

A US-sanctioned Russian illegally imported US$29 million worth of diesel to The Gambia, sold it there, and sent the money to the UAE, but the authorities seem uninterested

An Africa Confidential Special Report By Mustapha K Darboe and Andrew Weir

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Vol 64 No 22

China, Europe and the US mull tariff war amid scramble for Africa's green minerals

Corporate rivalries and geopolitical tensions disrupt markets for electric vehicles | Special Report by Tim Concannon

Related Articles

Delegates haggle in Egypt as the planet burns

Calls grow to regulate ballooning carbon credits

Bonn summit exposes rifts and inertia on climate action

Freetown’s business school buys $4.5m hole in the bush

Russian sanctions-busters find a Gambian haven

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