Africa-China Trade Rules Face Renewed Scrutiny as AU Envoy Calls for Greater Value Addition
African Union (AU) Ambassador Alhaji Sarjoh Bah has urged reforms to the global economic rules governing critical minerals, arguing that Africa should capture more value from resources driving the energy and digital transitions.
Bah, the AU’s permanent representative to China, made the call during the China Forum on International Legal Cooperation in Shenzhen on Sept. 22, according to the African Union.
His remarks focused on how legal frameworks could shape the growing economic relationship between Africa and China, particularly in trade, investment and critical-mineral supply chains.
Bah said Africa’s mineral wealth includes lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements and other resources important to renewable energy, electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. He argued that the continent should move beyond exporting raw materials toward processing, manufacturing and other higher-value activities.
The ambassador linked that objective to broader reforms in global governance. He said Africa needs a stronger voice in decisions affecting mineral pricing, the structure of supply chains, technology transfer and where processing takes place.
Bah also proposed developing a China-Africa legal cooperation framework for critical minerals. Among the areas he identified were investment contracts, responsible mining, environmental protection, technology transfer, skills development and mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes.
The proposal comes as the AU seeks to strengthen continental approaches to mineral development. Bah referenced the Africa Mining Vision, the African Continental Free Trade Area and the AU’s Africa Green Minerals Strategy as existing frameworks aimed at increasing value addition and supporting industrial development.
He also argued that African governments need sufficient policy space to manage natural resources according to their development priorities, while investors require predictable rules on licensing, taxation, contracts, property rights and dispute resolution.
The AU has separately identified regional value chains and increased market access as priorities in its economic engagement with China. In April, the AU said its mission in China was working with African ambassadors to strengthen Africa’s ability to benefit from China’s tariff-free market access offer and expand production capacity.
Bah said closer China-Africa legal cooperation should not require the two sides to adopt identical legal systems. Instead, he advocated greater compatibility between their frameworks while maintaining what he described as fair, predictable and mutually beneficial rules.
The proposal places legal cooperation alongside industrial policy as a potential tool for determining how much economic benefit African countries receive from their natural resources as demand for critical minerals grows.