With increasing trade and financial flows across the "global South," rising food and resource insecurity in more developed markets, and the growing scramble for cobalt, lithium and other "rare earths", African countries are being courted on many sides for infrastructure and natural resource deals—with the newer entrants, China, the Middle East, Israel, and Russia, supplanting longer-term players from Europe and the United States. What are the costs and benefits of these new partnerships? How can African governments ensure they set the agenda and are firmly in the driver’s seat—to prioritize investments that are sustainable (both environmentally and fiscally), and advance local job creation, innovation, and growth? This panel will explore the opportunities and risks for African countries navigating this new geopolitical landscape, examine ways they can work together to seize the initiative—and suggest steps the US and other Western powers can responsibly take if they are to catch up.