In recent years，with the rapid development of the global green transformation and emerging industries，the strategic value of critical minerals has become increasingly prominent. The demand and attention of countries around the world for critical minerals have risen rapidly，and they have successively introduced critical mineral strategies and accelerated the layout of the global critical mineral supply chain. The characteristics of critical minerals，such as scarcity，difficulty in substitution，and uneven distribution，have made them the focus of great power competition. Africa is rich in critical mineral resources and is an important source of minerals such as cobalt，copper，lithium，and uranium，has become a key target of competition among countries. The United States and European countries have intensified their layout of critical minerals in Africa，attempting to enhance their control over the through increasing high-level political exchanges，establishing mining partnerships，increasing investment and project cooperation in Africa，and establishing green mining standards. These efforts aim to secure a dominant position in the new round of resource competition and weaken China’s influence in the critical mineral field. Overall，the development and utilization of critical mineral resources in Africa have broad prospects. China should increase its cooperation with Africa in the field of critical minerals to support the development of new energy industry and the achievement of the dual carbon goals.