Grace Ashiru
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve their respective countries’ value chains for electric car batteries, according to the US Department of State.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia have agreed to work together to build a supply chain for electric car batteries, which the US will fund through the MOU. The MOU will help the DRC and Zambia achieve their objective of creating an effective supply chain that runs from the mine to the assembly line, and it also makes a commitment to uphold international standards for preventing, detecting, and combating corruption throughout this process.
The US also promised to cooperate with Zambia and the DRC to create an environment that will allow for fair participation by the private sector in these initiatives, which will supply the technical know-how and funding for the commercial growth of the value chains.
Zones of collaboration
Through the MOU, the US, Zambia, and the DRC will collaborate on feasibility studies, consulting projects, and possibilities for technical support in order to promote open, competitive tenders and select the best and most affordable partners and contractors to progress the project.
Along with supporting the development of electric car precursor plants in the two nations, the US also plans to take the necessary actions to raise awareness of the DRC and Zambia Electric Vehicle Battery Initiative within the American commercial and investment sector.
Zambia is the second-largest cobalt producer in Africa and the sixth-largest copper producer in the world, with the DRC producing more than 70% of the world’s cobalt. These materials are essential ingredients in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries.
