DRC Sets Up Task Force to Accelerate US Strategic Minerals Partnership

The Democratic Republic of Congo has approved a new task force to speed up the implementation of its strategic minerals partnership with the United States, according to cabinet minutes reviewed by Reuters. The move comes as Kinshasa seeks to attract more Western investment into its major copper and cobalt sectors and reduce its reliance on China.

The DRC, the world’s largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper exporter, signed the partnership with Washington in December. The agreement has already resulted in a U.S.-backed mining investment through Virtus Minerals and expanded copper offtake agreements involving state miner Gecamines and traders Mercuria and Glencore, increasing Congolese mineral sales to Western markets.

The “DRC-USA Task Force,” approved at a September 11 cabinet meeting, will work to turn the partnership’s commitments into concrete economic and security benefits, Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba said. The government did not disclose the task force’s composition or priority projects. Ministers also approved a record $24.8 billion budget for 2027, up 12% from this year’s revised spending plan, with infrastructure, security and economic diversification among key priorities.

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