Congo Sets Up Task Force to Speed Up US Minerals Partnership

The Democratic Republic of Congo has approved the creation of a task force to accelerate its strategic minerals partnership with the United States, as Kinshasa works to draw more Western investment into its copper and cobalt sectors.

The decision, taken at a cabinet meeting on September 11, formally establishes a "DRC-USA Task Force" to speed up delivery of the partnership, according to a government account of the meeting. The arrangement with Washington was signed in December.

Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba told ministers the body would help convert commitments made under the partnership into "concrete economic and security results" for Congolese citizens. The government statement did not set out the task force's composition or name the priority projects it would oversee.

A government official said the task force had initially been expected to become operational in February, but administrative obstacles pushed back the timeline. Implementation of the partnership has continued despite that delay, the official added.

The move fits Congo's broader push to widen its funding sources beyond China and deepen ties with Washington, which is seeking to loosen China's grip on critical minerals supply chains. Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt and its second-largest exporter of copper.

The partnership has already produced a U.S.-backed mining investment through Virtus Minerals, along with expanded copper offtake arrangements between state miner Gecamines and the traders Mercuria and Glencore, lifting Congolese sales into Western markets.

At the same cabinet session, ministers approved a record $24.8 billion budget for 2027, an increase of 12% over this year's revised spending plan. Infrastructure, security and economic diversification are listed among the government's priorities.