US progressing minerals deal in Congo

THE US planned to press on with a potential multi-billion dollar investment programme in the minerals industry of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Reuters.“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed the Congo’s proposal, and … the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development,” US senior adviser Massad Boulos said after meeting Congo President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa last week.The Congo is hoping that in return for US investment in its minerals – rich in lithium, copper and cobalt, the Trump administration will provide military security amid a Rwanda-backed uprising in the east of the country.Tshisekedi met US lawmaker Ronny Jackson in March to discuss the fighting and opportunities for US investment. “We want to work so that American companies can come and invest and work in the DRC. And to do that, we have to make sure that there is a peaceful environment,” Jackson was quoted as saying at the time.“We want a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC,” he said. “There can be no economic prosperity without security,” Reuters quoted Boulos to have said.Joseph Bangakya, Congolese parliamentarian and president of a Congo-US friendship parliamentary group, told Reuters that MPs were preparing a bill to promote the Central African country’s business climate. “It is essential for our country to achieve a trade agreement with the United States,” he said.The post US progressing minerals deal in Congo appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com