Event Recap

On June 12, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center launched a new series of essays, “Beyond Critical Minerals: Capitalizing on the DRC’s Vast Opportunities.” The launch event featured a keynote by Troy Fitrell, senior bureau official at the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, and a panel of the authors behind the series.

Rama Yade, senior director of the Africa Center, opened the session by stressing that the DRC is “too large and complex to be reduced to cobalt and copper,” noting its population of 120 million, rich linguistic and cultural diversity, and vital ecological role in the Congo Basin.

Fitrell outlined six pillars of the United States’ commercial strategy with Africa, emphasizing commercial diplomacy, infrastructure investment (including investment toward digital infrastructure), and private-sector engagement. “Africa is important right now. DRC is important right now,” he stated, urging more “aggressive” US engagement. Referring to the Rwanda-DRC tensions, Fitrell said “we know what the outline of a deal looks like—now it’s just a matter of getting to yes.” He added that they are looking at a “June or July peace agreement.”

The authors included Dave Peterson, former senior director of the Africa Program at the National Endowment for Democracy; Mvemba Dizolele, lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Nicole Namwezi Batumike, gender and responsible sourcing specialist at Panzi Foundation; and Calixte Ahokpossi, mission chief for the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the International Monetary Fund. In the discussion, moderated by Carol Van Dam Falk, the panelists each offered insights on the DRC’s economic challenges and promise.

• Ahokpossi emphasized the need for reinvestment into infrastructure to reduce transport costs and unlock other sectors: “DRC has massive potential, but without roads and energy, agriculture and health will lag,” he warned.
• Batumike highlighted the need for legally binding frameworks and responsible sourcing standards: “We must ensure that this is not another cycle of unsustainable deals,” she said, calling for transparency and local benefits from extractive partnerships.
• Dizolele challenged US-centric narratives, saying, “the question isn’t what Africa must do to attract US investment—it’s what the US must do to show up.” He added that waiting for “perfect conditions” only cedes ground to competitors like China and the United Arab Emirates.
• “There’s a misconception that the DRC is uninvestable,” Dizolele said. “But the country is the size of Western Europe. Conflict in the east shouldn’t preclude engagement in stable regions.”
• Peterson echoed the need for sustained engagement beyond rhetoric. “If the US wants access to these minerals, it must be serious. We are no longer automatically the ‘good guys.’”
• The discussion concluded with a call for coordinated, inclusive partnerships that respect Congolese agency, civil-society input, and long-term development goals. As Batumike put it, “The DRC deserves more than extraction. It deserves investment that transforms.”

Event Description

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Issue Brief

May 23, 2025

Beyond critical minerals: Capitalizing on the DRC’s vast opportunities

By Dave Peterson, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Rabah Areki, Thomas De Dreux-Brézé, Nicole Namwezi Batumike, and Calixte Ahokpossi

As major powers contend for access to Kinshasa’s mineral wealth and Washington seeks to broker a peace deal with Rwanda, the DRC and its partners have a chance to aim high, and channel the country’s resource wealth into good governance, infrastructure, and more.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Economy & Business

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