KEY POINTS
- The US and China are intensifying deep-sea mining efforts targeting minerals potentially worth up to $16 trillion.
- Six African countries support a precautionary pause or moratorium over environmental and economic concerns.
- Africa risks losing mineral investment unless it accelerates the development and processing of its own critical-mineral resources.
Africa is facing a new challenge as the United States and China intensify efforts to exploit critical minerals buried beneath the sea floor, potentially creating a new source of competition for the continent’s mineral resources.
The deep seabed is estimated to contain mineral deposits worth as much as $16 trillion, including cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, platinum and rare earth elements that are increasingly important to clean energy, advanced technology and defence industries.
The growing interest in these resources is raising concerns among African governments and environmental groups, which fear that deep-sea mining could divert investment away from Africa while causing lasting damage to fragile marine ecosystems.
The deep ocean contains three major types of mineral deposits that have attracted increasing attention from governments and mining companies: polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and ferromanganese crusts.
Polymetallic nodules, which resemble potatoes in size and shape, are found across deep-ocean plains and contain manganese, nickel, copper and cobalt.
Polymetallic sulphides, meanwhile, contain valuable quantities of copper, zinc, gold and silver, while ferromanganese crusts found on underwater mountains contain cobalt, manganese, nickel, platinum and rare earth elements.
These minerals are essential to the production of batteries, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, electronics and military equipment, making access to new supplies increasingly important for major economies.
The United States is increasingly viewing deep-sea mineral resources as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on China.
China currently plays a dominant role in the processing of several critical minerals, giving Beijing significant influence over global supply chains.
In April 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to accelerate deep-sea mining activities, describing access to seabed resources as a national security priority.
Washington has subsequently moved to expand exploration permits and assess potential mining locations in the Pacific, including areas around American Samoa and the Mariana Islands.
However, the US approach has generated questions about international governance because Washington has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the framework governing activities in international waters.
China strengthens its deep-sea presence
China is also expanding its activities in the deep ocean as Beijing seeks to secure future supplies of critical minerals.
The country holds five of the 31 exploration contracts issued by the International Seabed Authority and has invested heavily in marine research and deep-sea technology.
China is also developing a permanent deep-sea research station in the South China Sea, which is expected to be completed by 2030. The facility is intended to study underwater ecosystems and resources, including energy-related deposits.
Investigations by CNN and Mongabay identified several Chinese research vessels involved in deep-sea exploration over the past five years.
Some of the vessels reportedly spent limited periods in designated exploration zones while also operating in strategically important waters, raising questions over the extent to which China’s deep-sea research activities could have wider strategic implications.
The growing seabed mining race comes as African countries seek to attract more investment into their own mineral industries.
Africa holds some of the world’s largest reserves of critical minerals. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral wealth alone has been estimated at about $24 trillion, including deposits of cobalt, copper and other resources needed for modern technologies.
African countries are therefore concerned that a rapid expansion of deep-sea mining could create another source of minerals and potentially reduce the urgency for international investors to develop deposits on the continent.
For African governments, the challenge is not simply about competition for investment but also about ensuring that the continent captures greater value from its natural resources.
Concerns over the environmental and economic consequences of seabed mining have prompted several African countries to support calls for greater caution.
Mauritius, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Malawi, Kenya and Madagascar have backed calls for a precautionary pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining.
The countries made their positions known during discussions at the International Seabed Authority meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, in July 2026.
Africa’s influence in the negotiations is significant, with African countries holding 10 of the ISA Council’s 36 seats.
Their involvement gives the continent an important platform to push for stronger environmental safeguards and ensure that decisions on seabed resources take account of developing countries’ interests.
Scientists and environmental organisations have warned that large-scale mining of the ocean floor could have consequences that are difficult to reverse.
The deep sea remains one of the least understood environments on Earth, and many of its ecosystems have developed over extremely long periods.
Mining operations could disturb seabed habitats, destroy marine organisms and release sediment into surrounding waters. Scientists are also concerned that the full effects of industrial-scale seabed extraction may not be known until mining begins on a commercial scale.
About 40 countries have already called for either a moratorium or a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining because of these environmental concerns.
