DR CONGO · CRITICAL MINERALS
Key Facts
- The country DR Congo, in central Africa, supplied about three-quarters of the world’s mined cobalt in 2025.
- The background A Strategic Partnership Agreement signed on 4 December 2025 ties US investment to Congolese minerals and peace.
- What happened On Thursday 5 November 2026 in Paris, the two governments held the second meeting of their steering committee.
- What was reviewed They reviewed the Lobito rail corridor, the Grand Inga dam, critical minerals and a Strategic Asset Reserve.
- The catch The joint statement names no investment amount, no timetable and no job targets.
- What comes next Follow-up is to name responsible institutions, indicative deadlines and reporting channels, according to the statement.
The United States and DR Congo reviewed their minerals-for-security partnership in Paris on Thursday 5 November 2026, the second meeting of the committee that steers the deal. The talks matter to US readers because DR Congo supplied about three-quarters of the world’s mined cobalt in 2025, according to the US Geological Survey, the federal science agency.
The two governments published a joint statement on Friday 6 November. It reports progress on a rail corridor and a dam project but names no investment amount.
What the Two Governments Agreed
The Strategic Partnership Agreement, signed on 4 December 2025, is the framework for US investment in Congolese projects. A joint steering committee reviews progress, and its first meeting took place on 5 February 2026.
Daniel Mukoko Samba, DR Congo’s Deputy Prime Minister for the National Economy, co-chaired the Paris meeting, according to a communique from his ministry. He said the partnership should go beyond mining raw materials and help build infrastructure, industry and jobs.
The Strategic Asset Reserve is a list of Congolese assets on which US companies receive preferential access. The government designated its first list at the committee’s inaugural meeting, and the Paris statement notes growing interest from US private companies.
Lobito, Inga and Critical Minerals
The delegations welcomed the signing of the concession agreement for the Lobito corridor, a trade route linking Congo’s copper belt with the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola. The statement refers to it as the Sakania-Lobito corridor and lists investments along it as a priority.
On Grand Inga, a planned giant hydropower complex on the Congo River, the statement speaks only of next steps. A coordination and governance committee for the project held its first meeting on 26 October 2026.
The US Development Finance Corporation, Washington’s overseas investment bank, presented the investments it is preparing in DR Congo. The statement gives no amount for them.
The delegations also took note of a recently adopted Congolese law that sets tax and customs rules for projects under the partnership. They urged its application, and said both countries want more local processing, refining and skills training in DR Congo instead of exporting raw ore alone.
Peace Remains the Condition
Both governments repeated that peace and security in eastern DR Congo are the foundation of the partnership. They called for full and verifiable implementation of the Washington Accords, the peace agreements that the United States helped broker.
The statement also points to protecting civilians and the safe return of displaced people. It asks for named focal points and a follow-up calendar under the memorandum of understanding on peace and security.
What It Means for US Readers
US battery and electronics makers depend on cobalt and copper supply chains that run through DR Congo, so any access deal for US companies affects their costs and risks. The statement invites eligible US companies to contact either government to obtain the Strategic Asset Reserve list and to seek designation as qualifying projects.
The practical signal is slow progress rather than a breakthrough. With no announced amounts, investors should treat the Paris meeting as a status check, and watch security in the east, which both governments call a condition for investment.
What Is Not Known
The joint statement does not say how much money the US Development Finance Corporation or private investors will commit, or which assets sit on the Strategic Asset Reserve list. The Congolese Ministry of National Economy and the US State Department can answer when the committee meets again, a date neither government has announced.
The governments have not said when the legal framework for the Strategic Asset Reserve will be final. The committee’s two co-chairs, including Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba, can answer at that next meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the US and DR Congo Strategic Partnership Agreement?
Signed on 4 December 2025, it sets the framework for US investment in Congolese projects, tied to peace and security. A joint steering committee of both governments reviews progress.
What is the Strategic Asset Reserve?
It is a list of Congolese assets, aimed at the critical minerals sector, on which US companies receive preferential access. The first list was designated at the committee’s inaugural meeting in February 2026.
Why does cobalt matter to the United States?
DR Congo supplied about three-quarters of the world’s mined cobalt in 2025, according to the US Geological Survey. Cobalt is used in rechargeable batteries.
What is Grand Inga?
It is a planned hydropower complex on the Congo River that both governments want to develop. Its coordination and governance committee held a first meeting on 26 October 2026.
Did the Paris meeting announce any money?
No amount appears in the joint statement. The US Development Finance Corporation presented its planned investments in DR Congo, but the figures were not published.
Sources: Joint statement of the second meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement, 6 November 2026 (US State Department and Government of DR Congo); Ministry of National Economy of DR Congo, communique of 5 November 2026; US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Cobalt (pubs.usgs.gov). Retrieved 7 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief