Some countries in Africa and Latin America have signed new agreements with Western governments and companies. These deals will help them process important minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, in their own countries instead of sending them overseas. These minerals are very important for making batteries, electric cars, and many modern electronics.

The main reason for these agreements is that the world needs more clean energy, like electric vehicles and wind power. To do this, countries need more of these minerals. Countries with many minerals want to earn more money and create more jobs by building local factories to process the minerals themselves.

Because of these agreements, more mineral processing plants will be built in Africa and Latin America. This could give these countries a bigger role in the global supply chain for clean energy technology.