Kinshasa has confirmed that U.S.-backed KoBold Metals has received seven exploration permits for lithium and other critical minerals, strengthening Congo’s role in the global clean energy race.

According to Reuters, the permits were granted following a July 2025 deal between the Congolese government and KoBold Metals, a company supported by American billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

The agreement also gives KoBold a pathway into the Manono project, widely considered one of the world’s largest untapped lithium deposits, essential for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Congo’s mining registry shows that:

• Four permits are in Manono, Tanganyika province.

• Three permits are in Malemba Nkulu, Haut-Lomami province.

Together, they cover about a dozen minerals, including lithium, coltan, and rare earths, all crucial to clean energy technologies from smartphones to EVs.

The Manono project remains tied up in a dispute between Kinshasa and Australia-based AVZ Minerals, which has accused the DRC of failing to grant it a mining license.

With KoBold’s arrival, Congo is signaling that it will decide who develops the deposit, underlining its authority over one of the world’s most strategic resources.

For Kinshasa, the deal is about more than lithium. It reflects a broader determination to ensure that Congo’s mineral wealth serves national development rather than exploitation, after decades where global companies extracted riches with little benefit to citizens.