China’s establishment of electric vehicle (EV) factories across Africa is a strategic move aimed at securing long-term dominance in the global auto industry.
Supported by $231 billion in government subsidies, Chinese automakers have significantly scaled production, undercutting Western competitors.
With tariffs on Chinese-made EVs rising in the U.S. and Europe, China sees Africa as a new frontier for manufacturing, leveraging the continent’s cheap labor and vast mineral resources, including cobalt and lithium essential for EV batteries.
Major automakers like BYD, Chery, and SAIC are eyeing Africa to offset potential losses from Western tariffs.
Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe provide critical access to minerals, while nations like South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco offer stronger economies and infrastructure for EV production.
China’s investments, outlined in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, are expected to create thousands of local jobs while bolstering Chinese EV production capacity.
China’s move into Africa is part of a broader strategy to dominate the global supply chain for renewable energy technologies, including EVs and their batteries.
By securing both raw materials and production, China is poised to maintain its leadership in the transition to clean energy.
Western automakers, struggling to compete with China’s lower costs, may find it increasingly difficult to keep pace.
China’s expansion of EV manufacturing into Africa reinforces its ambition to lead the global EV market by leveraging Africa’s resources and labor, which will likely widen the price gap between Chinese and Western-made EVs.
