“The DRC is one of only three African countries that’s part of the Minerals Security Partnership,” said Mahnaz Khan, Vice President of Policy, Critical Supply Chains at Silverado Policy Accelerator, speaking at the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum in Houston. “It’s a beneficiary of one of just two critical mineral deals under this U.S. Administration, and part of both the Lobito Corridor and the G20 Compact with Africa.”

She noted that U.S. investors are playing a key role in structuring bankable projects in the DRC through a combination of offtake agreements, feasibility studies and business matchmaking with local firms. “Once you get a U.S. offtake, then you can go to the Development Finance Corporation or Export-Import Bank and get funding that way,” se said.

Meanwhile, the DRC’s power sector is also beginning to show signs of transformation, as officials seek to close a gaping electrification deficit. “Electrification in the DRC is around 20%, and in rural areas, where the majority of natural resources are, it’s even lower,” said Damien Twambilangana, Deputy Managing Director of ANSER. He pointed to the long-planned Inga hydropower development as part of a broader vision to harness up to 100,000 MW of generating potential.

Companies like HYDRO-LINK are already stepping in. Chairman and CEO Paul Hinks announced progress on a recently signed 1,200-km power transmission project set to link the DRC with Angola, as well as 33 small-scale hydropower projects across the country and a project to extract gas from Lake Kivu. “We’ve been very pleased with the way things are moving,” he said.

That transformation is being supported by new governance and facilitation tools, including the Agency for the Management, Coordination and Supervision of Conventions Agreements (APCSC), which acts as a bridge between the DRC government and investors. “Coming to the DRC is a win-win investment,” said Yves Tala Ngai, Director of Studies and Planning at the APCSC. “There are a lot of opportunities to share with people in the DRC and its neighbors.” This was further emphasized by Nkenda P. Nzinga, U.S. Representative and Deputy Director of APCSC.

The hydrocarbon sector is also seeing new interest following the launch of a licensing round in 2022. Joel Fumbwe, Upstream Technical Advisor to the Minister of Hydrocarbons, emphasized the need to generate and package data to attract further investment. “If you don’t have data, investors will not come to your country,” he said. “The relationship with the U.S. is going to give us more experience.”