前殖民國公司的把持
With modern electronics an integral part of our daily lives, the materials used to produce them have become invaluable resources – lithium, which powers the battery of smartphones and electric vehicles, is now even called ‘white gold’.
隨著現代電子產品成為我們日常生活不可或缺的一部分，用來製造電子產品的原料也成為很寶貴的資源，像是為智慧型手機和電子車供電的鋰，現在甚至被稱為「白金」。
integral (adj.)不可或缺的material材料,原料；building materials建築材料valuable (adj.)貴重的,寶貴的；invaluable (adj.)寶貴的,無價的
According to the UN, Africa accounts for 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, which include rare earth, gold, iron, titanium, zinc, lithium, cobalt, and more.
根據聯合國，非洲礦產蘊藏量占全世界的30％，包括稀土、黃金、鐵、鈦、鋅、鋰、鈷等等。
account for (數量上)佔……比例mineral (adj.)礦物的,含礦物質的；mineral water 礦泉水
Even though more than 80% of the world’s raw lithium is mined in Australia, Chile, and China, most of the world’s cobalt, another key mineral for batteries, comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
雖然世界上超過80％的原生鋰是在澳洲、智利和中國開採的，但全世界的鈷，也是電池的另外一種關鍵礦物，則大都來自剛果民主共和國。
raw (adj.)生的, 沒有經過加工的mine (v.)開採
With a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day, Nigeria represents 25% of the continent petroleum production, making it the top oil producing country in Africa and the sixth largest in the world.
奈及利亞一天最多可產250萬桶原油，佔該洲石油產量的25％，使它成為非洲最大的產石油國家，也是世界第六大石油生產國。
petroleum (n.)石油；gasoline (n.)汽油；diesel (n.)柴油
With so much wealth underground, it remains shocking that the African population reaps little benefit from resources mined in their own land.
即使有這麼豐富的地下資源，令人吃驚的是，非洲人從自家土地開採的資源當中並未獲得多少利益。
reap the benefit 獲得回報、收益或報酬；You reap what you sow. 種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆。
Mining operations are still controlled by companies from former colonial powers, like Shell and Rio Tinto from the UK and Total Energy from France.
開採作業仍掌握在前殖民大國公司的手中，像是英國的殼牌和力拓集團，以及法國的道達爾集團。
colonial (adj.) 殖民地的,殖民主義的
And with China using debt diplomacy to fuel its African expansion, there is little hope that things will improve.
隨著中國用債務外交來加速在非洲的擴張，情況好轉的可能性渺茫。
debt (n.)債務diplomacy (n.)外交debt-trap diplomacy債務陷阱外交