Graphite from East Africa could help the US build green tech, but the region faces instability

The green tech trade war with China is forcing the US to search for new partners for sources of critical minerals for semiconductors and renewable energy. The graphite-rich economies of Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania provide potential alternative sources of graphite for the US, but political instability and governance problems in the region create challenges.
Madagascar and Mozambique are established flake and powder graphite producers with considerable global export shares by volume (21 and 24 percent in 2022, respectively). Tanzania is a smaller producer now but is receiving…