The US is stepping up efforts to strengthen ties with African countries rich in critical mineral resources to ensure security of supply, a government official said.
Workshops recently held in Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) brought in US experts with the ultimate goal of setting up local battery manufacturing operations.
Last month, the US government approved $150 million of funding for a graphite-mining project in Mozambique.
In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a memorandum of understanding with DRC and Zambia in December to explore ways to support their plan to develop an electric-vehicle value chain together. The two Central African nations are major producers of copper and cobalt, key metals in electric vehicles and batteries.