Washington backs a Congo-Rwanda minerals deal, Beijing sells surveillance cameras and Moscow pitches a Suez gateway to Africa. Also here: Algeria's new prime minister and Malawi on the eve of a hard election.
Three powers, three strategies: this issue offers a snapshot of great power competition in Africa. Washington stands behind a draft agreement under which the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda would reform supply chains for tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium. Beijing, Bloomberg reports, gains influence by selling cheap surveillance and facial recognition systems through Huawei, ZTE and Hikvision. Moscow presents its industrial zone at the Suez Canal as an entry point for Russian business into the whole continent, in Alexey Overchuk’s words.
The Africa Now bulletin of September 14, 2025 brings together 11 stories, drawn from official statements, Reuters and Bloomberg reporting, and local media.
Scope
In politics, Algeria’s Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Sifi Ghrib as prime minister, Malawi approached a presidential election shaped by inflation and fuel and sugar shortages, with a runoff between Lazarus Chakwera and Peter Mutharika widely expected, and US Judge Tanya Chutkan questioned the legality of deporting Nigerian and Gambian migrants to Ghana.
The issue also covers the Central African Republic’s search for $21.5 billion at an investment roundtable in Casablanca, Somalia’s plan for 100 model farms by 2029, the African Union’s welcome of a UN General Assembly resolution on cooperation, a new gendarmerie barracks in Burkina Faso, and Russian-Malian talks on cultural cooperation, including Russian Cinema Days in Mali.
Excerpt
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are preparing a draft agreement on mineral sector development, planning cooperation with the US and other international partners. The parties intend to reform mineral supply chains and attract new investment after concluding a peace agreement in Washington. According to a Reuters source, the preliminary framework agreement is being discussed with private sector, banks, and donor agencies from several countries. Rwanda and DRC expect to meet in early October for final revisions, with signing by heads of state planned for later. The seventeen-page draft continues June’s peace agreement mediated by President Trump’s administration, aimed at ending hostilities and attracting Western investment to the region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium. The draft provides for joint work with the US and other international structures on new regulatory initiatives and reforms necessary to “reduce private investment risks in economically effective ways.” Plans include implementing transparency mechanisms incorporating OECD recommendations, creating cross-border special economic zones with private sector participation, and establishing coordination bodies — an annual high-level summit on regional economic integration, working groups, and a steering committee.
Sergey Konyashin, Washington’s Minerals, Beijing’s Cameras, Moscow’s Gateway (Africa Now, Démarche, September 14, 2025)