Marc Watum, Special Mission Officer at the DRC Ministry of Mines, confirmed that the government is seeking U.S. financial backing and technical partnerships to develop and modernize these sites.

“We have formally opened these zones. While they were originally slated for development, lingering ESG, safety, and environmental challenges prompted us to launch a major campaign to transform them,” Watum stated. “This is a full greenfield mission, and we want to determine what investment structures can help us develop these assets responsibly.”

The proposal was directed at prominent public and private entities present, including the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Stryk Global Diplomacy, and regional financial institutions such as Africa50 and the Trade and Development Bank.

Beyond the mining zones, the DRC urged investors to partner in comprehensive geological mapping. Currently, roughly 90% of the country’s territory remains unmapped.

“At most, 10% of our geology is thoroughly understood, leaving 90% uncharted,” Watum explained. “U.S. companies like KoBold Metals have demonstrated how technology can compress 15 years of traditional exploration into a fraction of that time in Zambia and the DRC. We want to see that same technology-driven investment applied to mapping our national geology.”

Addressing investor concerns over political and operational risk, Watum pointed to the DRC's proven track record of hosting world-class mining assets.

“Our current Minister of Mines successfully developed three world-class projects prior to taking office, meaning the sector is guided by proven industry expertise,” he emphasized. “Tier-one operations like the Kibali gold mine existed long before achieving global fame. These projects have survived global pandemics, market crashes, and political transitions. When investors bring up country risk, we point to these long-term success stories as proof that strategic collaboration in the DRC delivers outsized returns.”

Reinforcing the call for co-investment, Vibhuti Jain, Regional Head for Africa at US. DFC, urged regional African institutions to join forces with American financiers.

“No region in the world has ever developed purely through external capital - we need strong regional institutions at the table,” Jain noted. “We are working closely with both African and U.S. financial partners, who serve as vital co-funders alongside the DFC across the continent’s mining value chain.”