By Spy Uganda
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has submitted a shortlist of state-owned mining assets to Washington for consideration by U.S. investors as part of a proposed critical-minerals partnership, according to two senior Congolese officials.
The list, delivered to U.S. officials last week, includes manganese, copper-cobalt, gold and lithium projects held by state-owned companies. The move represents Washington’s most concrete step yet in translating peace and investment agreements with Congo into strategic influence over the country’s critical-minerals supply chain, the officials said.
U.S. engagement in Congo has intensified since President Donald Trump brokered a pact between Congo and Rwanda aimed at easing tensions in the mineral-rich eastern region. Following the agreement, U.S. agencies accelerated efforts to secure access to strategic metals essential for energy transition technologies.
The U.S. Development Finance Corporation has already signed a minerals marketing partnership with Congo’s state miner, Gecamines, and backed the 553 million dollar upgrade of the Lobito Corridor, a key transport route for mineral exports from Central Africa.
The Congolese officials did not disclose the total value of the assets on the shortlist. They said the list had undergone several rounds of internal vetting and represents Kinshasa’s most direct offer yet for U.S. investors to evaluate potential projects. The officials requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
There was no immediate comment from the Congolese government or the U.S. Department of State.
The U.S. push to secure critical mineral supplies globally has gained urgency as Washington seeks to reduce its dependence on China. China is the world’s largest consumer of commodities and dominates the refining of copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earths, processing between 47 percent and 87 percent of strategic minerals, according to the International Energy Agency.
Chinese firms operating in Africa include CMOC, the world’s largest exporter of cobalt largely sourced from Congo, as well as Zijin Mining and Huayou Cobalt, which export significant volumes of Congolese copper.
One official said Congo intends to offer assets held by state-owned companies that are not already committed under farm-outs or joint ventures. Another said the process was being conducted in full compliance with Congolese law.
The shortlist includes Kisenge’s manganese, gold and cassiterite licences, Gecamines’ Mutoshi copper-cobalt project and a germanium-processing venture, four gold permits held by Sokimo, lithium licences controlled by Cominiere, and coltan, gold and wolframite assets owned by Sakima.
One of the sources said the consolidated list had been presented to a Joint Steering Committee for American investors, a bilateral body established to implement the minerals partnership. The next steps include convening the committee’s first meeting and beginning negotiations on investment agreements and contracts.
A document sent by Kinshasa to the U.S. State Department and seen by Reuters lists Congo’s representatives on the committee as Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Daniel Mukoko Samba, the ministers of foreign affairs, mines and finance, and the head of the minerals regulator ARECOMS.
