China Controls Congo’s Cobalt and Africa Risks Losing its Future

In this episode of the Breakdown, we take a critical look at how China controls cobalt production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and what that means for Africa. Chinese firms control nearly half of Congo’s cobalt output and much of global refining. Congo supplies about 70 percent of the world’s mined cobalt. The mineral powers electric vehicles, defense systems, and clean energy storage. Yet Africa refines very little of it. Beijing secured its position through state-backed loans and strategic mine purchases. China Molybdenum acquired major stakes such as Tenke Fungurume. Western governments now race to diversify supply chains. Competition is rising fast. The real issue is leverage. Will African states keep exporting raw ore, or will they build refining plants and control pricing power in the battery economy?