The Geological Lottery That Became a Geopolitical Battleground

China lithium investments in Africa are reshaping the global battery supply chain in ways that extend far beyond individual corporate transactions. Lithium does not distribute itself evenly across the Earth’s crust, tending to concentrate in specific geological formations, particularly in ancient pegmatite belts where slow-cooling magma allowed lithium-bearing minerals like spodumene to crystallise into economically viable deposits. For decades, the world’s attention focused on the lithium triangle of Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, where brine-hosted reserves dominate. However, a quieter story has been unfolding across Sub-Saharan and West Africa, where some of the…