DRC Strikes Billion-Dollar Lithium Pact with U.S.-Backed KoBold Metals, Challenging China’s Grip on Africa’s Critical Minerals

Kinshasa | iNewsAfrica | July 21, 2025
In a landmark move poised to reshape global mineral supply chains, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed a billion-dollar framework agreement with U.S.-backed KoBold Metals, a high-tech mining company funded by a consortium of Silicon Valley billionaires including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.

The deal, signed on July 17 by DRC Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba and endorsed by President Félix Tshisekedi, grants KoBold access to over 1,600 square kilometers of lithium-rich territory in the Manono region. This includes the coveted Roche Dure sector—previously embroiled in legal disputes with Australian miner AVZ Minerals.

Under the agreement, KoBold will invest more than $1 billion to explore and develop the lithium deposit, digitize DRC’s geological archives, and train Congolese experts in advanced mineral analytics. The initiative also links to the U.S.-supported Lobito Corridor project, which aims to fast-track exports of critical minerals from Central Africa to Western markets.

“Congo is no longer just a resource base—it’s becoming a tech-powered hub of the global green energy revolution,” said Pakabomba during the signing ceremony.

The deal is being hailed as a strategic win for the United States and its allies, who seek to reduce dependency on Chinese-controlled supply chains. Analysts view the agreement as part of a broader geopolitical pivot that also includes recent U.S.-brokered peace efforts between DRC and Rwanda, aimed at stabilizing rebel-plagued regions.

However, the deal has sparked controversy. AVZ Minerals, which lost its mining license in 2023, claims the KoBold pact violates an interim ruling by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). AVZ has warned that the DRC risks breaching international law and jeopardizing investor confidence.

Despite the legal cloud, KoBold has until July 31 to finalize its exploration permits—an ambitious timeline reflecting the urgency of securing critical minerals for electric vehicles, batteries, and green energy infrastructure.

While Congolese officials have hailed the agreement as a major investment opportunity, it has also raised concerns. Critics fear a repeat of the country’s long history of foreign exploitation, where vast natural wealth is extracted with little benefit to local communities.

As global powers race for resource security in the age of decarbonization, the DRC’s lithium fields have become not just a prize but a powerful pivot point in the battle for the planet’s energy future.

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