A top Trump adviser on Thursday confirmed the U.S. is moving closer to hammering out a deal with the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of the Congo, the world’s largest producer of cobalt needed for lithium-ion batteries, magnetic materials and superalloys.
Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa and father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, told reporters during a briefing that he recently returned from a trip to the continent and met with Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi to discuss the minerals accord. Boulos also visited Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
“President Tshisekedi and I discussed a minerals deal and charted a path forward, boosting U.S. private sector investment in the DRC, particularly in the mining sector,” Boulous said. “Of course, we need a more stable environment to achieve this objective, and President Tshisekedi is committed to this goal, as well.”
Tshisekedi in February pitched Trump on a deal that would connect wealth from the nation’s raw materials to broader stability in the region. Tensions there have flared since January, when Rwanda-backed rebels seized eastern Congo’s two largest cities.
