Washington – Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among the 54 nations courted by the United States in a bid to secure rare earth minerals for manufacturing computer chips, smartphones, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, electric car batteries, and modern weapons. The effort unfolded at the inaugural 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday where the Trump administration rallied global partners to diversify supply chains away from China’s dominant position.
Hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and opened by Vice President JD Vance, the event brought together representatives from 54 countries—including the European Commission—and 43 ministers. Attendees included key African players like Kenya, the DRC, Angola, Guinea, Morocco, Sierra Leone, and Zambia, alongside major economies such as Australia, Japan, India, Germany, and South Korea.
The ministerial aimed to reshape the highly concentrated global market for critical minerals—vital for AI, robotics, batteries, and defense technologies—into one that is “secure, diversified, and resilient, end-to-end.” Officials highlighted vulnerabilities to “political coercion and supply chain disruption,” implicitly targeting China’s control over processing and exports.
Vice President JD Vance proposed a preferential trade bloc among allies, featuring coordinated price floors to protect against market flooding and ensure stable pricing. “We want members to form a trading bloc among allies and partners, one that guarantees American access to American industrial might while also expanding production across the entire zone,” Vance stated.
The U.S. signed 11 new bilateral frameworks or MOUs with countries including Guinea, Morocco, and others, building on recent agreements. It also spotlighted private sector moves, such as an MOU witnessed by Deputy Secretary Landau between Glencore and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium for potential DRC asset acquisitions, promoting “secure, reliable, and mutually beneficial flows of copper and cobalt” to the U.S.
Over $30 billion in U.S. government financing support was announced in recent months, leveraging partnerships to mobilize far greater private capital for mining, refining, and processing projects worldwide.
The gathering launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), succeeding the Minerals Security Partnership and chaired initially by South Korea, to drive policy and project collaboration.
This high-level push underscores the Trump administration’s “America First” strategy to bolster national security, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership by reducing reliance on adversarial suppliers, while offering African resource-rich nations opportunities for investment and fairer global value chains.
Hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and opened by Vice President JD Vance, the event brought together representatives from 54 countries—including the European Commission—and 43 ministers. Attendees included key African players like Kenya, the DRC, Angola, Guinea, Morocco, Sierra Leone, and Zambia, alongside major economies such as Australia, Japan, India, Germany, and South Korea.
The ministerial aimed to reshape the highly concentrated global market for critical minerals—vital for AI, robotics, batteries, and defense technologies—into one that is “secure, diversified, and resilient, end-to-end.” Officials highlighted vulnerabilities to “political coercion and supply chain disruption,” implicitly targeting China’s control over processing and exports.
Vice President JD Vance proposed a preferential trade bloc among allies, featuring coordinated price floors to protect against market flooding and ensure stable pricing. “We want members to form a trading bloc among allies and partners, one that guarantees American access to American industrial might while also expanding production across the entire zone,” Vance stated.
The U.S. signed 11 new bilateral frameworks or MOUs with countries including Guinea, Morocco, and others, building on recent agreements. It also spotlighted private sector moves, such as an MOU witnessed by Deputy Secretary Landau between Glencore and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium for potential DRC asset acquisitions, promoting “secure, reliable, and mutually beneficial flows of copper and cobalt” to the U.S.
Over $30 billion in U.S. government financing support was announced in recent months, leveraging partnerships to mobilize far greater private capital for mining, refining, and processing projects worldwide.
The gathering launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), succeeding the Minerals Security Partnership and chaired initially by South Korea, to drive policy and project collaboration.
This high-level push underscores the Trump administration’s “America First” strategy to bolster national security, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership by reducing reliance on adversarial suppliers, while offering African resource-rich nations opportunities for investment and fairer global value chains.