The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the head of the African Development Bank is calling for an end to loans given in exchange for the continent's rich supplies of oil or critical minerals used in smart phones and electric vehicles. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe says that these deals have helped China gain control over mineral mining in places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and have left some African countries in financial crisis. "They are just bad, first and foremost, because you can't price the assets properly," Akinwumi Adesina told AP in Lagos, Nigeria. "If you have minerals or oil under the ground, how do you come up with a price for a long-term contract? It's a challenge." Linking future revenue from natural resource exports to loan paydowns is often touted as a way for recipients to get financing for infrastructure projects and for lenders to reduce their risks. China's deal with the Congo strengthens Beijing's position in the global supply chain for EVs and other products as it taps into the world's largest reserves of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries. Lenders typically hold the upper hand and dictate terms to cash-strapped African nations.