Keypoints:
- Kinshasa denies selling mineral assets to US
- December 2025 deal opens door to US investment
- DRC supplies 76 percent of global cobalt
THE Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has rejected claims that it has ‘sold off’ its vast mineral wealth to the United States under a December 2025 agreement granting American firms access to strategic reserves.
Speaking on the sidelines of the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, Mining Minister Louis Watum dismissed suggestions that Kinshasa had ceded control over deposits of copper, cobalt, coltan and lithium.
‘The DRC has not sold off anything at all. The DRC has not sold anything at all,’ Watum said, stressing that the accord does not transfer ownership of resources.
Deal framed as investment platform
The December 2025 agreement opens access for US companies to pursue projects in some of the world’s most critical mineral reserves. It also incorporates a peace framework aimed at reducing long-running instability in eastern Congo.
US President Donald Trump hailed the accord at the time as the start of ‘a new era of harmony and cooperation’ that could bring security and prosperity to the region.
However, fighting has continued in parts of eastern DRC, prompting questions over whether the diplomatic component of the agreement can deliver sustained stability.
Watum insisted the minerals deal should be understood as a structured framework for potential investment rather than a sale of assets.
‘It creates a platform for discussion with American companies. Some may invest and others not. And when they do, it will be in strict compliance with the mining code,’ he said.
Strategic projects under joint review
At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Vice Premier Daniel Mukoko Samba said Kinshasa had submitted a list of strategic mining and infrastructure projects to Washington. These proposals are expected to be examined by a joint steering committee in the coming weeks.
Officials say any approved ventures will operate under Congolese law, with regulatory oversight remaining firmly in domestic hands.
The DRC’s mining sector has long been shaped by intense international competition, particularly between the United States and China, both seeking to secure supply chains for critical minerals used in advanced manufacturing, defence systems and renewable energy technologies.
Asked about growing US–China rivalry, Watum said Kinshasa’s priority was national development rather than geopolitical alignment.
‘We’re not interested in that. We have to play our own game as DRC,’ he said, adding that education, employment and economic transformation for the country’s estimated 120 million people remain central objectives.
Vast resources, limited development
Despite its mineral wealth, the DRC has developed only around 10 percent of its known reserves, according to the mining ministry. Officials argue that significant untapped potential remains available for responsible investment.
‘There is space for everyone,’ Watum said, comparing the country’s emerging role in critical minerals to Saudi Arabia’s dominance in oil markets during the 1980s.
According to the US Geological Survey, the DRC accounted for 76 percent of global cobalt production in 2024, underlining its strategic importance in global battery and electric vehicle supply chains.
The country also holds substantial reserves of copper, coltan and lithium, minerals increasingly essential for artificial intelligence data centres, defence applications and the global energy transition.
Demand for these materials is projected to expand sharply over the coming decade, driven by electrification efforts and technological transformation across major economies.
For Kinshasa, the central challenge will be converting mineral advantage into broad-based development while maintaining sovereignty over national resources.
Officials maintain that the US minerals deal strengthens, rather than weakens, the country’s negotiating position in an increasingly competitive global market for critical raw materials.
