How the US overtook China as Africa's biggest foreign investor

You probably don't give much thought to the device that you're reading this article on, as long as it looks good and keeps working. But the elements that power and run it are the subject of an escalating struggle between the world's two biggest economies - the US and China - with African countries in the eye of the storm. The African continent is rich in critical minerals and metals - like lithium, rare earths, cobalt and tungsten - which are vital to making and running our personal tech. Such materials are also essential for everything from electric vehicles, to AI data centres, and weapon systems. China has long been the biggest player in the global market for critical minerals and metals.