Published: · Region: Africa · Category: markets

U.S.–DRC Critical Minerals Shift From Access Talks to Hard Investment Tests Global Supply Chains

Washington and Kinshasa are moving their critical minerals partnership into a new phase, focusing less on diplomatic frameworks and more on bankable mining, processing and infrastructure projects. The shift will affect the batteries, EVs and defense systems that depend on Congolese cobalt and copper, and test whether Western promises can compete with Chinese capital on the ground.

The United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo have quietly moved their critical minerals relationship into a more demanding stage: from signing frameworks to trying to build mines, refineries and roads that actually work. According to officials familiar with the talks, the partnership is entering a phase in which diplomatic assurances of access matter less than whether real money flows into commercially viable projects. The original framework, agreed in recent years against the backdrop of growing competition with China, aimed to secure U.S. and allied access to Congolese cobalt, copper and other key inputs for electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy and advanced electronics. Much of the early effort focused…

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