The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has clarified that it has not transferred ownership of its mineral resources to the United States under a recent bilateral agreement, the country’s mining minister stated Wednesday. The remarks address international speculation surrounding a December accord that grants U.S. access to the DRC’s vast reserves of critical minerals amid heightened global competition for strategic resources.
The agreement was signed concurrently with a peace initiative aimed at ending the protracted conflict in eastern DRC. It focuses on facilitating U.S. access to key materials including copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium—resources essential for defence, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and the energy transition. The United States views the deal as a strategic move to diversify supply chains and reduce reliance on Chinese-processed minerals, with China currently dominating global refining capacity.
Minister Louis Watum, speaking at the African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, firmly rejected characterisations of the deal as a sale of assets. “The DRC has not sold off anything at all,” he asserted, emphasizing that the framework merely establishes a process for U.S. companies to propose investment projects. He stressed that any future mining activity would strictly adhere to the nation’s existing mining code.
The agreement has yet to produce a cessation of hostilities in the east, a point acknowledged by Watum. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously heralded the accord as ushering in a new era of regional cooperation, though commitments from all conflict parties remain largely unfulfilled.
According to Vice Premier Daniel Mukoko Samba, who spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the DRC has submitted a list of potential strategic projects to Washington. These will be evaluated by a joint steering committee in the coming weeks. Watum, however, distanced his government from broader geopolitical rivalries, stating Kinshasa’s primary focus remains domestic issues such as employment and education for its population of 120 million. “We’re not interested in that. We have to play our own game as DRC,” he said.
The DRC possesses some of the world’s largest deposits of critical battery minerals. It accounted for approximately 76 percent of global cobalt production in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Despite this wealth, Watum noted only about 10 percent of the country’s mineral resources are currently developed, highlighting significant untapped potential. He compared the DRC’s emerging position in global supply chains to Saudi Arabia’s role in oil markets during the 1980s, suggesting the nation could become a pivotal supplier. “There is space for everyone,” he added, indicating openness to investment from multiple partners.
The December accord represents a formalization of economic diplomacy between Kinshasa and Washington, yet its implementation depends on parallel progress in stabilising the conflict-ridden east. As global demand for battery metals surges, the DRC’s approach seeks to leverage its resource endowment while asserting sovereign control over its development trajectory. The coming reviews of proposed projects will test whether the framework translates into tangible investment that fuels both national growth and international supply chain resilience.
