A new Supply chain is being set up between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States, under the impetus of the Geneva-based merchant Mercuria. Au At the heart of this system are metals that are strategic for the transition. energy, copper and cobalt, in a geopolitical context marked by Washington's desire to relaunch its industrial sector. On Monday, the partners announced an iconic first delivery of 100,000 tons Congolese copper destined for the American market.

This operation is part of a logic with triple benefit. For the United States, it secures supplies of critical metals at attractive prices. For the DRC, it marks a rise in the power of the State in the marketing of its mineral resources, via Gécamines Trading, a new trading entity for public company Gécamines. Finally, for Mercuria, long focused on hydrocarbons, this transaction confirms the strategic shift initiated in 2024 to metals.

The copper delivered comes from the giant Tenke Fungurume mine, operated by the Chinese group CMOC, in which Gécamines owns 20%. No awards have been officially Press release, but on the London Metal Exchange, the ton of copper reached Monday 13,200 dollars, up from 9,100 dollars a year earlier. The delivery will run throughout 2026, in accordance with a recent agreement between Kinshasa and Washington.

The operation is managed by Gécamines Trading, which appointed Mercuria as a “partner strategic”. The Geneva-based merchant provides financial, logistical and technical, guaranteeing the credibility of market transactions internationals. In return, the benefits of the operation will be shared between the two parties, thus accompanying the ramp-up of the new Congolese structure.

According to sources of the sector, Gécamines Trading aims to give back to the Congolese State a better to control its mineral exports and to reduce its dependence on prices imposed by major international mining groups. So far, number operators resold their production to their own trading subsidiaries, to conditions considered unfavorable by the Congolese authorities.