Swiss commodities giant Glencore agreed to sell 40% of its stake in its DR Congo copper and cobalt mines to the Washington-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, intensifying the Trump administration’s effort to counter China’s global dominance of metals and mining on the continent.
It lands alongside a US–DR Congo agreement to prioritize American interests in DR Congo’s supply chain, and ahead of a critical-minerals summit in Washington on Wednesday with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, and ministers from other African countries. This week, the White House also launched a $12 billion critical minerals stockpile as part of its efforts to counter Chinese dominance over key metals and support domestic manufacturers during shortages and emergencies.
The US is hoping that backing transactions like the Orion deal — which valued the Glencore assets at $9 billion — will help it move quicker on the continent: The top US State Department official responsible for Africa policy told Semafor recently that Washington need not match China “dollar for dollar” in Africa, and should instead ensure it is “actively competing” in priority supply chains.
