The study examinesthe barriers inUS-Africa Critical mineral cooperation, including the competition to control the critical mineral supply chain. It focuses on the factors that influence cooperation and the mining process in Africa, identifying the barriers and the best approach for the United States to tilt the competition in its favorand foster cooperation. A qualitative researchdesign was employed, using purposive and random sampling techniques to select 14 participants representing U.S. government agencies, U.S. companies in the mineral sector, and local and international non-governmental organizations.Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic and content analysis. The findings revealed significant challenges, including transparency issues, poor coordination, environmental gaps, and infrastructure gaps,in the region.