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OPINION                                                              AUGUST 01, 2025       |  The Indian Eye 14



        enabling Beijing to exercise end-to-                                                                  imagining mineral security from the
        end control over the mineral value                                                                    African perspective.
        chain.                                                                                                    Most existing critical mineral
            Against the above backdrop, the                                                                   frameworks fail to address Africa’s
        Quad must implement robust, trans-                                                                    broader developmental needs. For
        parent and equitable mechanisms                                                                       the continent, mineral security must
        for engaging African partners. While                                                                  go  beyond  traditional  extraction  to
        the Quad’s collective framework                                                                       include inputs essential for food se-
        remains nascent, its member states                                                                    curity, like fertilizers, materials for
        have begun formulating and execut-                                                                    infrastructure such as cement, and
        ing national strategies that increas-                                                                 components  for  water  purification.
        ingly incorporate Africa as a critical                                                                This is where current global strat-
        component of global supply chain                                                                      egies fall short. The Quad has a
        diversification and resilience.                                                                       chance to offer a distinct approach
            The Quad’s Critical Minerals                                                                      by supporting local manufacturing,
        Initiative is a timely response to the                                                                establishing processing facilities, and
        economic and strategic vulnerabili-                                                                   ensuring mineral-based products like
        ties created by overdependence on                                                                     batteries and solar panels remain
        dominant suppliers, most notably       Africa is home to nearly 30 per cent of the world’s known lithium, cobalt, graphite,    accessible. Innovative models such
        China. As demand for minerals cru-                                                                    as “materials-as-a-service”, enabling
        cial for clean energy technologies and           and other rare earth elements reserves (File photo)   producing countries to maintain a
        digital infrastructure accelerates, so                                                                stake throughout the value chain,
        does the urgency for nations to diver-  transport  and telecommunications.   DRC’s Mining Week in Lubumbashi   could help reshape global mineral
        sify and de-risk their supply chains.   In 2023, the Japan Organization for   to explore future collaboration. By   partnerships more equitably.
        Within the Quad, each member has   Metals and  Energy  Security  (JOG-  February  2025,  Indian  officials  dis-  The future of global critical min-
        independently expanded its footprint   MEC) signed agreements with Na-  cussed investment opportunities in   eral governance will be shaped not
        in Africa’s mineral landscape. Yet, in   mibia, the Democratic Republic of   lithium, rare earths and other key   only by technology and capital but
        the absence of a coherent, coordinat-  the Congo (DRC) and Zambia. These   minerals at Mining Indaba in South   by inclusion, trust and partnership.
        ed approach, the collective potential   countries are rich in cobalt, copper   Africa. A breakthrough followed in   The Quad’s vision for a free, open
        of  the  Quad  remains  underutilised,   and rare earth elements. Beyond ex-  July 2025, when India secured 9,000   and  resilient  Indo-Pacific  cannot
        unable to match the scale, speed or   ploration, Japan’s engagement prior-  sq km of mineral exploration rights   be realised if Africa, home to some
        integration of China’s mineral diplo-  itises environmental compliance and   in  Zambia.   Prime  Minister Naren-  of the world’s most vital mineral
        macy.                             responsible mining, reflecting a com-  dra Modi’s visits to Ghana and Na-  reserves, remains sidelined. While
            Japan’s experience following the   mitment to high standards and long-  mibia in July 2025 further elevated   each Quad member brings a unique
        2010 rare earth embargo imposed by   term capacity building. Its evolving   the scale and significance of India’s   advantage, India’s Global South out-
        China is a pivotal example. Heavily   model offers a valuable template for   critical minerals diplomacy.  reach, Japan’s technological acumen,
        reliant on Beijing for more than 90   the Quad grounded in mutual de-   Recent events also underscore   Australia’s mining expertise, and the
        per cent of its rare earth imports at   velopment, rather than resource ex-  the strategic costs of inadequate co-  US’  financial  clout,  the  absence  of
        the time, Japan responded by invest-  traction alone.               ordination within the Quad. India’s   a  unified,  Africa-centered  strategy
        ing over ¥100 billion in a national   While Japan’s engagement re-  sudden suspension of rare earth ex-  limits their collective potential. Afri-
        diversification  strategy,  eventually   flects  a  development-oriented  strat-  ports to Japan, ending a 13-year-old   ca is not merely a resource supplier
        reducing its dependence to about   egy anchored in high standards and   agreement, is a case in point. While   but is an increasingly assertive actor,
        60 per cent.This episode catalysed   long-term cooperation, Australia   driven by legitimate concerns over   seeking value addition, environmen-
        a shift in Tokyo’s external econom-  offers a commercially driven model   securing domestic supply and re-  tal safeguards, and a say in shaping
        ic engagement. This experience has   that nonetheless complements and   ducing dependence on China, it also   the rules of the global mineral econ-
        reshaped Japan’s domestic strategy   reinforces the broader goals of the   highlighted the fragility of bilateral   omy. The challenge now is to move
        and redefined its external outreach,   Quad. Despite being a resource-rich   arrangements in the absence of a   from alignment in principle to ac-
        with Africa emerging as a key part-  nation, Australia sees Africa as a sup-  multilateral framework. As Japan   tion in practice. By placing Africa at
        ner in its quest for resource diversi-  plier and a strategic partner in trans-  has been a long-time investor in In-  the centre, the Quad can transcend
        fication.                         forming the global mineral economy.   dia’s  rare  earth  value  chain,  such   narrow security framings and offer a
            Japan’s engagement with Africa,   Nearly  170  Australian  mining  com-  disruptions expose the lack of an   compelling, inclusive alternative to
        long rooted in infrastructure diplo-  panies are active in 35 African coun-  institutional mechanism for policy   China’s mineral dominance.
        macy, has seen a gradual yet strate-  tries, operating within the framework   consultations, dispute management
        gic pivot towards securing access to   of Australia’s Critical Minerals Strat-  and  expectation  alignment  within   Mohanasakthivel J is a Research
        critical minerals essential for its in-  egy (2023–2030).           the Quad. Without such guardrails,   Analyst with the Manohar Parrikar
        dustrial economy. While Tokyo has     KABIL has secured lithium as-  the internal cohesion that gives the   Institute for Defence Studies and
        historically supported Africa’s de-  sets in Argentina and is pursuing co-  Quad its strategic strength could be   Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi.
        velopment through the Tokyo Inter-  balt and copper ventures in Zambia,   compromised.                 Views expressed are of the author and
        national Conference on African De-  the DRC and Côte d’Ivoire. Over the   From now on, the Quad must   do not necessarily reflect the views of
        velopment  (TICAD),  the  emphasis   past two years, India has significantly   move from parallel bilateralism to co-  the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
        is now expanding beyond traditional   intensified its diplomatic and techni-  ordinated collective action. It needs   Government of India.
        aid to encompass strategic resource   cal outreach to African mineral-rich   shared platforms for investment,
        partnerships. Japan has reoriented   countries.  In June 2024, it held Joint   transparent  rules  for  intra-group   The full version of this article
        its approach to include strategic alli-  Working Group meetings with Zam-  trade and early-warning systems to   first appeared in the Comments
        ances in the critical minerals sector.  bia to deepen cooperation on copper   mitigate policy shocks. Internal con-  section of the website (www.idsa.in) of
            At TICAD 2022, Japan pledged   and cobalt, building on an existing   sistency, especially from the US, will   Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense
        US$ 30 billion for Africa’s infra-  MoU. Around the same time, an In-  be critical to maintaining strategic   Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, on
        structure development in energy,   dian delegation participated in the   alignment. Equally important is  re-   July 18, 2025


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