Critical Minerals, Fertilisers, Agrochemicals, Digital Power, And The Erosion of Food Sovereignty
Africa is increasingly caught in a global system marked by permanent conflict, intensifying competition over resources, and growing control of minerals, food, and digital systems by powerful states and corporations.
In this context, critical minerals extend far beyond renewable energy or industrial development. They underpin a complex web that connects mining, fertiliser production, agrochemicals like glyphosate, large-scale agriculture, digital infrastructure, and military power. While Africa holds vast mineral wealth, control over how these minerals and inputs are processed, valued, and deployed largely rests outside the continent. As a result, African food systems, livelihoods, and ecosystems remain highly vulnerable to global volatility.
Nowhere is this entrapment more visible than in fertiliser and agrochemical supply chains. African agriculture has been locked into dependence on imported synthetic fertilisers and chemical herbicides, all derived from the same mineral and energy foundations and governed through highly concentrated, geopolitically fragile supply chains.