Practical Tips on Investigating Big Tech in Africa • Athandiwe Saba
In this masterclass video, investigative data journalist Athandiwe Saba of Code for Africa shares practical leads for reporters investigating the impact of Big Tech across the African continent. She explains how the tech industry is closely tied to the extraction of critical minerals (such as lithium and cobalt) used to power digital infrastructure and AI systems.
The session highlights concrete starting points for investigations, including using public registries and databases to trace supply chains and identify which companies source minerals from countries like the DRC, Zambia, or Rwanda. Saba also encourages journalists to connect the dots between mining, Big Tech companies, lobbying, and public policy.
Tools / resources mentioned in this video:
Critical Minerals Registries:
- https://www.usgs.gov/
- https://rmis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/eu-critical-raw-materials
- https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/critical-minerals-today-and-in-2030_5jrtknwm5hr5-en.html
Credits:
- Interview: Sarah Ulrich
- Video Editing: Quentin Egloff
- Music: Lionel Marçal
- Filming: Ron Lopez – Reynald Ramirez – Hashim Hakeem
- Supervision and Coordination: Sandrine Rigaud
- Special thanks: Glenn Chong
- With the support of The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung