Africa-Press. Nearly forty delegations arrived in Washington on February 4, 2026, to attend a summit dedicated to critical minerals, highlighting the growing strategic importance of these resources.
The meeting is organized by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the participation of a high-level delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that arrived in Washington alongside President Félix Tshisekedi.
President Tshisekedi appeared in the US capital during the events just two months after signing the Washington Accords. He returned this time to lead his country’s delegation at the new critical minerals summit, as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to strengthen the security of strategic supply chains to counter China’s dominance. The DRC is a key player in the global markets for coltan, cobalt, and lithium.
Following the G7 summit hosted by his counterparts a week earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is preparing to invite “partners from around the world” to discuss mechanisms for securing strategic resources and reinforcing existing partnerships.
Although the DRC has already reached a cooperation agreement with Washington on critical minerals, projects stemming from the deal have yet to be completed.
Among these projects is the sale of the copper and cobalt Shamva mine in the Mutushi area in the south of the country. The asset had initially been offered to Chinese investors before the Congolese government moved to redirect the deal toward American investors.
The summit also includes a delegation from Guinea, which views closer ties with the United States as an opportunity to boost US investment in bauxite, iron ore, and other minerals, thereby reducing reliance on China, currently the largest investor in Guinea’s mining sector.
Delegations from Kenya are also arriving in Washington, as the country seeks to strengthen its strategic relationship with the United States. In this context, Washington is focusing on the Tel Merima area in southeastern Kenya, a forested region believed—according to preliminary estimates—to contain vast rare earth reserves worth tens of billions of dollars.
