Kenya and the United States are now very close to signing a major minerals deal that could open up the vast treasures hidden beneath Mrima Hill in Kwale County. The minerals there are estimated to be worth a staggering Ksh 8.1 trillion. This comes after President William Ruto held talks with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, June 17, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Évian, France.
Under this new agreement, Kenya will no longer allow its natural resources to be exported in raw form. Speaking to Reuters, President Ruto made it clear that the deal will cover rare earths and other strategic minerals, and it is expected to be finalised very soon. "We've agreed with them on what is mutually beneficial between Kenya and the United States, and President Trump and the American administration are happy with it," Ruto said.
The President emphasised that the days of shipping out unprocessed minerals are over. "We have agreed that the minerals will be processed in Kenya," he said. Addressing leaders at the G7 Summit, he insisted that critical minerals must be processed locally to create jobs, build industries, and generate wealth for Kenyan citizens. "The natural resources can no longer be exported and processed elsewhere. They have to be processed in-country and in-continent. We have to create value out of them," Ruto declared.
This new approach is part of a broader shift happening across Africa, where countries are moving away from decades of resource extraction that mainly benefited foreign economies. President Ruto noted that Kenya is following the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also pushing for mineral processing to take place closer to where the minerals are extracted.
Kenya is now positioning itself as a regional processing hub, taking advantage of its large untapped deposits of rare earth minerals, niobium, lithium, graphite, copper, and nickel. These minerals are becoming increasingly important globally because they are used in electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, batteries, and advanced manufacturing.
President Ruto said his discussions with Trump focused on building partnerships based on investment rather than aid. He argued that Africa's future lies in industrialisation and job creation, not dependency. "We are going to reject any relationships that are based on the extraction of our natural resources," he said firmly.
His remarks come at a time when the US, China, and Europe are all competing fiercely for access to Africa's vast mineral resources, which are critical for the global energy transition. However, President Ruto made it clear that Kenya and other African countries will not be forced to choose sides. "There are opportunities for everybody," he said, stressing that Africa will continue pursuing partnerships that align with its own economic interests.
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