Boldozer Consulting Experts Publish in Engelsberg Ideas: “Why the West Is Missing Out on Africa’s Minerals”

Zurich, 8 October 2025 — Boldozer Consulting is proud to announce the publication of an essay by Dr. Paul Josephson, member of Boldozer’s Expert Panel, and Viktoriya Zakrevskaya, in the acclaimed international journal Engelsberg Ideas.

Titled “Why the West is Missing Out on Africa’s Minerals,” the essay examines how competition for Africa’s critical minerals — lithium, cobalt, graphite, and others — is reshaping global power dynamics in the age of artificial intelligence. As AI accelerates demand for energy and strategic resources, the authors argue that the West risks losing geopolitical ground to China and Russia, both of which have built deep economic and political linkages across the African continent.

Published by the Axel and Margaret Axson Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit, Engelsberg Ideas is among Europe’s leading forums for analysis of history, geopolitics, science, and technology. Its contributors include senior policymakers, historians, and thought leaders shaping contemporary debate on international affairs.

The essay traces how strategic minerals shape the AI revolution and how uneven infrastructure, governance, and investment patterns in Africa are creating new dependencies and geopolitical bottlenecks. Drawing on decades of comparative research, Josephson and Zakrevskaya warn that without a more coherent Western strategy, global mineral supply chains may become increasingly politicised — with profound implications for technology, trade, and security.

“Strategic minerals form the material backbone of the AI era,”

the authors write.

“Yet Western engagement with Africa too often repeats old patterns of extractive opportunism rather than fostering long-term technological and environmental resilience.”

About the Authors

Dr. Paul Josephson specializes in science and technology policy and international affairs. Trained at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D.), he has written extensively on the political and environmental dimensions of energy systems, agribusiness, and modern industrial technologies. A Professor Emeritus of History of Science and Technology, Dr. Josephson has conducted field research in Brazil, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States. His recent work explores the intersection of the AI revolution, state policy, and corporate strategy. He serves as a member of the Boldozer Consulting Expert Panel.

Viktoriya Zakrevskaya is the Founder (Fondatrice) of Boldozer Consulting, a Zurich-based geopolitical and strategic communications advisory. Her work focuses on helping companies navigate the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and compliance, particularly in sectors exposed to global regulatory and political risks.

Read the full essay on Engelsberg Ideas via the link.