Hedging the great powers: Africa exercising agency in the US-China competition in the 4IR

Africa has historically been a focal point of great power rivalry, raising questions about its ability to assert agency in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This study interrogates Africa’s positionality in the great power competition between the United States and China in the 4IR. The author places Africa at the centre of the US-China competition, and argues that the continent is not bereft of the capacity to assert agency, as its decision-makers are adept at hedging. Africa exercises agency by leveraging its critical mineral preponderance and burgeoning digital market amid ruptured US-China relations to secure preferred outcomes that align with the continent’s interests, domestic needs and financial realities. African agency is constrained, however, by a dysfunctional regional body and the digital infrastructure deficits that continue to characterise the continent. Steps to gain financial independence from external actors and to close enforcement gaps are key.