Kinshasa, April 4th, 2025(CPA) – A consensual agreement on strategic minerals between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States of America was agreed on Thursday between the Congolese President and his American counterpart’s Senior Adviser for Africa, who is in Kinshasa. ‘You have heard about an agreement on minerals. We have heard the DRC’s proposal, and I am pleased to announce that the President and I have agreed on a way forward for its elaboration’, declared Massad Boulos, after his meeting with Félix Tshisekedi. The meeting, which took place in the presence of Félix Tshisekedi’s and Massad Boulos’s aides, focused mainly on the security situation in the east of the country and the economic prospects for the two countries, which enjoy strategic cooperation. Mr Massad Boulos was very clear and pragmatic on both subjects, reassuring us of his country’s willingness to support the DRC in its quest for peace and development. ‘I look forward to working with President Félix Tshisekedi and his team to build a deeper relationship that benefits the Congolese people and the American people, and to stimulate US private sector investment in the DRC, particularly in the mining sector, with the shared goal of contributing to the prosperity of our two countries,’ said the American. ‘Of course, we need a business-friendly environment to achieve this objective. Rest assured that American companies are operating transparently and will stimulate the local economies. We’re talking about multi-billion dollar investments. We’re talking about jobs, knowledge transfer and investment in infrastructure. There can be no economic prosperity without security’, he said, on the subject of mining cooperation.
Commitments to end the insecurity crisis in the east
With regard to the war in the east of the DRC, the head of the American delegation said that the USA remained determined to contribute to ending the conflict. ‘We want a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC, and lays the foundation for a thriving regional economy. This relationship has great potential, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss the way forward with our counterparts here in Kinshasa,’ said Massad Boulos. In an exclusive interview recently granted to the American media, ‘Bret Baier’ on Fox News, President Tshisekedi outlined the strategic partnership envisaged between his country and the United States of America, in view of the security and development challenges facing the DRC. ‘As far as minerals are concerned, we started discussing strategic partnerships with the United States as soon as I came to power in 2019, during Trump’s first term, but the health crisis interrupted the discussions. They continued with the Biden administration and, since Donald Trump came back, they have resumed with renewed vigor. What I absolutely want to avoid is a sell-off, or agreements made in haste’, he said. President Tshisekedi reaffirmed that, given the new global economic dynamics, the DRC is open to investment, but on a transparent and fair basis. And the country’s strategic minerals must be exploited in the interests of national development, avoiding all forms of economic predation. ACP/