After China announced major investments in building power grids in Africa, copper prices strengthened on Thursday.

The most-traded three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange was up 1.8% to $9,117 per metric ton at 14:04 GMT, resisting declines in the rest of the metals. On Thursday, China pledged nearly $51 billion in financing for Africa, with an emphasis on improving power grids whose shortcomings have delayed the industrialization of this resource-rich continent.