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Africa, Germany
BMW, Volkswagen and BASF skirt around DRC's cobalt for their electric vehicles

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Artisanal miners work at Tilwizembe, a former industrial copper-cobalt mine outside Kolwezi, Lualaba province, DRC.
Artisanal miners work at Tilwizembe, a former industrial copper-cobalt mine outside Kolwezi, Lualaba province, DRC. © Kenny Katombe/Reuters

Repelled by DRC mines' bad reputation, BMW has turned to Morocco and Australia for its cobalt supplies, while Volkswagen prefers to deal with Chinese battery manufacturers. At the same time through their supplier BASF, the car makers are funding a project to support Congolese artisanal mining cooperatives, managed by German development agency GIZ.

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In Focus | Rwanda, South Africa
Serial entrepreneur Brian Menell bets double on rare earth mining sovereignty

The mining and defence specialist and heir to the dynasty that co-founded AngloVaal has been investing heavily in "technology metals" with help from the US, worried about being left behind by China. As he had done in the 1990s with British and South African army veterans, who found the first private military companies to help his activities, Menell now has a retired US admiral and a former British army officer on board.

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South African Brian Menell.
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Headlines

The US-led Flintlock exercise at the AILCT counter-terrorism school in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast, on 30 April 2026.
Spotlight | Ivory Coast Abidjan redefines military cooperation with Beijing, Paris, and Washington Africa Head of AU health body sparks fresh internal crisis
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Évariste Ndayishimiye with AU observers during legislative elections in Gitega on 5 June 2025.
Cameroon Global Africa Telesud TV channel gets €200,000 injection DRC Financing on table for feasibility studies for major projects

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