The Democratic Republic of Congo has officially submitted a shortlist of state-owned mineral assets to the United States, marking a major step in a deepening minerals partnership aimed at reshaping global supply chains for strategic metals.
According to Business Insider Africa, Senior Congolese officials confirmed that the list, delivered to Washington last week, covers projects involving manganese, copper, cobalt, gold, lithium, and other critical minerals.
The move represents Kinshasa’s clearest effort so far to turn recent diplomatic and security engagements with the United States into sustained investment influence over the country’s vast mineral resources.
It comes as Washington intensifies efforts to secure alternative sources of strategic minerals in order to reduce its reliance on China, which currently dominates global processing and refining.
Data from the International Energy Agency shows that China processes between 47 percent and 87 percent of key strategic minerals, including copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earths.
For Congo, the initiative arrives amid strong global interest in its resource base.
The country holds some of the world’s richest cobalt and copper deposits, metals that are essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced manufacturing.
Chinese companies have historically played a leading role in mining and exporting these resources, giving Beijing a dominant position in Congo’s minerals sector.
According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, the shortlisted assets went through multiple rounds of internal review before being submitted.
One official said the list represents “the most direct offer yet” by the Congolese state to invite US investors to evaluate and potentially invest in projects held by state-owned mining firms that are not already locked into joint ventures or farm-out arrangements.
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The assets include Kisenge’s manganese, gold, and cassiterite licences; Gecamines’ Mutoshi copper-cobalt project and a germanium processing venture; four gold permits owned by Sokimo; lithium licences operated by Cominiere; and coltan, gold, and wolframite assets held by Sakima.
A second official emphasised that the entire process was being carried out in full compliance with Congolese law.
The United States has already demonstrated tangible support for the partnership.
The US Development Finance Corporation has signed a minerals marketing agreement with Gecamines and backed the Lobito Corridor upgrade, a regional rail and port project worth about $553 million that is intended to improve the export of minerals from central Africa to global markets.
The shortlist has been submitted to a Joint Steering Committee for American investors, a bilateral body set up to oversee implementation of the minerals agreement.
The committee includes senior Congolese officials such as Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Daniel Mukoko Samba, alongside the ministers of foreign affairs, mines, and finance, as well as the head of the mining regulator, ARECOMS.
Although neither the Congolese government nor the US State Department provided immediate public comment, the next stage is expected to involve formal meetings of the joint committee and the start of discussions with potential investors.
For observers across Africa, the evolving Congo–US minerals partnership highlights how access to critical resources is increasingly shaping global geopolitics, investment decisions, and the continent’s strategic importance in an increasingly competitive international landscape.
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Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
