With the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China all moving quickly to secure new supplies of African critical minerals, more attention is now shifting to the strategic supply chains that will get those resources from mine to port to market.

The U.S. and Europe have invested billions to refurbish the Lobito Corridor that stretches from the DRC and Angola all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Chinese have committed nearly two billion dollars to upgrade the aging TAZARA railway that links Zambia to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, joins Eric & Géraud to discuss how Japan is placing its bet on the Nacala Corridor — a much lower profile, yet potentially far more important route that links Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Topics Covered in This Episode

Major powers competing for Africa's trade corridors
The strategic importance of the Nacala Corridor
China's role in African infrastructure and logistics
Japan's approach to supply chain diversification
Critical minerals and the race up the value chain
The Lobito and TAZARA corridors explained

Show Notes:

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies: Reciprocal and Resilient Mineral Supply Chains: Lessons from the Nacala Corridor by Paul Nantulya

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Inside the Race for Africa's Strategic Corridors

The China in Africa Podcast