Critical Minerals Supply Chains and U.S. National Security: The Geopolitical Vulnerability of West African Sourcing in the Gulf of Guinea

The United States confronts a profound strategic vulnerability in critical minerals supply chains, particularly for minerals essential to clean energy technologies and defense systems. While West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea possess approximately 30 percent of global mineral resources including dominant reserves of cobalt, manganese, graphite, and bauxite, China's dominance of midstream processing capabilities, controlling 50 to 95 percent across key minerals, constrains U.S. access despite raw material abundance. This article examines how governance challenges, geopolitical competition, and supply chain concentration risks threaten U.S. manufacturing resilience and national security interests. Through qualitative analysis of regional governance structures, institutional capacity, and bilateral partnerships, we find that while Africa presents critical opportunities for supply chain diversification, substantial implementation gaps persist in infrastructure development, mineral processing localization, and institutional coordination between U.S. partners and African governments. U.S. strategy must shift from raw material acquisition toward midstream processing development and integrated value chain partnerships, a transition requiring sustained political commitment and fundamental restructuring of mineral development frameworks.