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Signed in December alongside a peace agreement aimed at ending the long-standing conflict in eastern DRC, the plan opens access to copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains.
The Democratic Republic of Congo did not “sell off” its vast mineral wealth to the United States under a deal granting Washington access to its reserves, the country’s Mines Minister said on Wednesday, amid growing global competition between major powers for critical resources.
Signed in December alongside a peace agreement aimed at ending the long-standing conflict in eastern DRC, the plan opens access to copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains.
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the deal at the time as a new era of harmony and cooperation that would bring peace and prosperity across the region.
The DRC has submitted a list of strategic projects to Washington, which will be reviewed in the coming weeks by a joint steering committee.
The DRC’s wealth of natural resources remains largely untapped, with only about 10% currently developed. The Central African nation has some of the world’s richest deposits of copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium and accounted for 76% of global cobalt production in 2024, according to the US Geological Survey.