By Erewunmi Peace

Qatar has announced ambitious plans to invest more than $100 billion across Africa, signaling its intent to compete with Gulf rivals and global powers in securing access to the continent’s vast reserves of critical minerals.

The investment drive, led by Qatari sovereign and private funds, targets sectors including mining, infrastructure, energy, housing, and agriculture. At the heart of the strategy is a push for copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earths, essential for electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable energy technologies.

Al Mansour Holding, a firm linked to Qatar’s ruling family, has signed framework agreements with countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Burundi.

The total investment pledge is estimated at US$103 billion, although not all of it is earmarked for minerals.

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has already backed Ivanhoe Mines with a US$500 million investment in the DRC, and previously invested US$180 million in TechMet, a critical minerals company.

Analysts say these moves underscore Qatar’s determination to diversify its energy-rich economy and gain influence in Africa’s fast-growing resources market.

While the $100bn figure reflects long-term pledges and memoranda of understanding, experts caution that actual projects may take years to materialize. Still, Qatar’s entry adds to growing competition from China, the US, and Gulf states for Africa’s minerals, vital to the global green transition.

As African governments seek partners to develop resources and infrastructure, Qatar’s big bet could reshape investment flows and accelerate development—if the promises translate into real projects.