Virtus Mentioned in U.S. State Dept. Speech

In a speech outlining an “America First in Africa” approach, the State Department tied the DRC and Virtus directly to U.S. critical minerals strategy….

“One of the most important steps we’ve taken in this area came last year when the United States and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement on critical minerals as part of the Washington Accords. 

That agreement reflects a new model for how we engage on minerals. Rather than simply extracting resources, we are working with partners to build secure, transparent, and commercially viable supply chains that benefit both our economies. 

In practical terms, that means supporting investments in infrastructure, logistics, and processing capacity so countries like the DRC can capture more value from their own resources. 

There are three projects that we view as foundational to the successful implementation of the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement. The Virtus-led consortium acquiring Chemaf’s cobalt and copper mines, the concession for the DRC side of the Lobito Corridor being granted to Mota-Engil, and the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium and Glencore finalizing their proposed transaction for Glencore’s mining assets in the DRC.

These projects are testament to the private sector interest in the DRC created by the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement and with President Tshisekedi’s steadfast commitment and leadership we are optimistic these initial projects will be completed quickly. This will provide both supply chain benefits for the United States and a clear positive signal to the rest of the private sector that the DRC is open for business.

Overall, this approach ensures African countries have a meaningful seat at the table as global supply-chain decisions are shaped. Last month, Secretary Rubio hosted a global critical mineral ministerial, with strong African representation, reflecting the Africa Bureau’s essential role in advancing global critical mineral supply-chain security as a win-win value position.”

Read the full speech: https://www.state.gov/releases/bureau-of-african-affairs/2026/03/america-first-in-africa