Exploiting Africa – How China and Europe hunt for the raw materials of the future | DW Documentary
The global race for the African continent‘s coveted raw materials is unscrupulous. The raw material interests of rich nations often trump the rights and needs of the local populations.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, people are being exploited in mines. Chinese traders are illegally buying cobalt, a material Europe needs for its green energy transition. Therefore, Europe buys the cobalt from these illegal traders. The EU now wants to free itself from its dependence on China for raw materials and expand its own local activities. They promise to act more fairly than China – though some say this is not a reasonable promise.
A huge hydrogen project involving Germany is being planned on the south-east coast of Namibia. The local population is also supposed to benefit from it. However, parts of a national park will be destroyed by the billions being spent in the name of green investment. “Why doesn’t Germany sacrifice its own protected parks for green hydrogen?” asks Namibia’s well-known environmental activist Chris Brown.
In the oil-contaminated mangrove forests of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, it becomes clear that Europe is not as climate-friendly as it likes to claim. After all, since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, numerous European investors have been attempting to discreetly arrange lucrative natural gas deals in the country. Congolese activist Patricia Kashala also complains that Europe gives the impression of acting in an exemplary manner, but in practice often puts its own interests in raw materials above the rights of the local population.
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Video “Exploiting Africa – How China and Europe hunt for the raw materials of the future | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 06/07/2025 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.