Washington, D.C.— SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy partnered with the U.S. Department of State to host two workshops with the respective Battery Councils of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on ways to spur private sector investment and build regional capacity for strategic mining, processing, recycling, and battery production.
The workshops—held last month—convened high-level officials from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and industry, along with international partners from Japan and the European Union and subject matter experts to speak about ways to develop and fortify infrastructure, accelerate knowledge transfer, and increase transparency.
“Building diverse, secure, and high-standard battery supply chains is not something the United States can accomplish on its own,” said Abby Wulf, Executive Director of the Center for Critical Minerals Strategy. “It requires raw materials, expertise, and, above all, capital. With their world-class deposits and innovative universities, Zambia and the DRC will be crucial partners to achieve our goals. Now we must work to show our commitment to the region by rallying capital investments and working to increase transparency.”
The workshops represent the first actions by the U.S. government following the signing of the tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) on EV battery supply chains during the African Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. The Honorable Minister Mulenga from the Zambian Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry and the Honorable Ambassador Gonzales from the U.S. embassy in Lusaka provided opening and closing remarks, respectively, at the U.S.-Zambia Workshop. The Honorable Minister Kazadi from the Congolese Ministry of Finance provided opening remarks at the U.S.-DRC Workshop.
Following the successful workshops, the U.S. Embassy in Zambia also issued a statement, and the U.S. Embassy in the DRC posted on social media.
These workshops put into action some of the findings of the Center for Critical Minerals Strategy inaugural report, A Global Race to the Top: Using Transparency to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains, released earlier this year. The report emphasizes working with major allies while building capacity globally to level the playing field and create a global race to the top for critical mineral supply chains that are not dependent on the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign entities of concern to access the building blocks of a more electrified, connected, and autonomous future.
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About SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy
The Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy aims to secure all aspects of the critical minerals supply chain to help empower the United States to lead in the connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles future with a focus on the entire minerals life cycle upon which these sectors rely.
About SAFE
SAFE is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization committed to transportation and energy policy solutions that advance the economic and national security of the United States, its partners, and allies. SAFE has convened business and former military leaders since 2004 to advocate for secure, resilient, and sustainable energy solutions. Visit secureenergy.org to learn more.
Media Contact
Jason Islas | jislas@secureenergy.org| Phone: (310) 977-0645
