🌍 Congo and the USA Mining Agreement: Opportunities and Challenges

/ Eyano Publishing / By

Introduction: A Historic Agreement at the Heart of Global Issues

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) stands at the center of a historic turning point. Blessed with vast reserves of strategic minerals—cobalt, lithium, copper, coltan, uranium—the country occupies an irreplaceable position in the global energy transition. In September 2025, the signature of a major mining agreement between the DRC and the United States sparked intense debate, filled with both hope and concern.

For some, this agreement represents a long-awaited chance to finally transform Congo’s mineral wealth into national prosperity. For others, it risks repeating the old patterns of foreign exploitation. But one thing is certain: the Amani Prosperity Plan, the strategic framework of this agreement, opens a new chapter in Congolese history.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges of this deal, and its potential impact on Congo, its diaspora, and future generations.

I. The DRC and Strategic Minerals: A Coveted Treasure

1. Congo, the world’s mining lung

Holding over 70% of the world’s cobalt reserves, some of the planet’s richest copper deposits, and enormous potential in lithium and uranium, the DRC is a true mining powerhouse.

These minerals are essential for:

  • Electric batteries (cobalt, lithium).
  • Digital technologies (coltan).
  • Nuclear energy (uranium).
  • Modern infrastructure (copper).

In other words, without the DRC, the global energy transition cannot be completed.

2. A paradox of wealth

Yet this colossal potential has not yet translated into sustainable development. The country continues to face:

  • Persistent poverty.
  • Armed conflicts fueled by mineral wealth.
  • A lack of transparency in mining contracts.

It is within this context that the DRC-USA agreement emerges.

II. What the DRC-USA Agreement Contains

1. A strategic partnership

The agreement seeks to:

  • Secure American supply of strategic minerals.
  • Encourage investments in mining and transformation infrastructure.
  • Promote transparency through the Amani Prosperity Plan, an innovative governance framework.

2. The role of the Amani Prosperity Plan

This plan proposes to:

  • Establish monitoring mechanisms for mining contracts.
  • Ensure transparent revenue management.
  • Channel revenues to key sectors such as agriculture and energy.

The idea is not merely to sell minerals but to make them the foundation of shared prosperity.

III. The Opportunities for Congo

1. Modernizing the economy

This agreement has the potential to:

  • Support the construction of local processing plants.
  • Create skilled jobs.
  • Reduce dependence on raw exports.

2. Financing agriculture and industrialization

With strong mining revenues, it becomes possible to fund projects such as:

  • Eyano Cassava Institute: turning agriculture into a driver of food sovereignty.
  • Integrated industrial zones.
  • Energy infrastructure (hydroelectric dams, civilian nuclear energy).

3. Engaging the diaspora

The Congolese diaspora can play a decisive role by investing in:

  • Real estate.
  • Small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
  • Knowledge and skills transfer.

IV. The Challenges and Risks

1. Risk of dependency

If Congo does not diversify its partners, it risks falling into a new dependency on the United States.

2. Governance and transparency

Past experience shows that:

  • Mining revenues are often mismanaged.
  • Corruption undermines reforms.
  • Local populations rarely benefit directly from the wealth.

3. Political and security stability

Without peace in the eastern regions, no agreement can achieve its goals. This is why the Constitutional Revision of Exception, known as the Kazadi-Tshilumbayi Law, becomes essential to protect the Congolese state during times of foreign aggression.

V. Building a Winning Strategy for Congo

1. Putting people at the center

The success of the agreement will depend on the government’s ability to channel revenues toward:

  • Education.
  • Healthcare.
  • Agriculture.

2. Creating a DRC-USA-Diaspora bridge

Eyano International Multiservices, Inc. embodies this vision by building a bridge between Kinshasa, Ottawa, New York, and the Congolese diaspora.

3. Ensuring monetary sovereignty

With the Congolese Digital Franc (CDF)—backed by gold and currently under review at the Constitutional Court—Congo could guarantee secure and sovereign transactions.

Conclusion: A Test for the Future

The DRC-USA agreement is neither a miracle solution nor an automatic threat. It is a test of political and economic maturity.

  • If well managed, it could transform the DRC into a 21st-century African power.
  • If poorly implemented, it risks repeating past failures.

The choice lies with Congo. The diaspora, institutions, and entrepreneurs like Eyano have a decisive role to play in ensuring that this agreement becomes a true lever for prosperity.

✍
Augustin Kazadi-Cilumbayi
President & Chief Executive Officer
Eyano Publishing
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