Kenya Ties Up with US to Create Minerals Based Economy

[ABS News Service/29.09.2026]

· The US and Kenya are in “very advanced” talks on a critical minerals deal, Nairobi’s mining minister told Semafor.

Hassan Ali Joho said discussions have focused on building refineries and processing plants that could supply the US, and would include “necessary incentives,” such as “special economic zones, port access, support infrastructure, and tax concessions.”

Kenya’s President William Ruto has made wealth creation through industrialization a focal point in his pitch to voters ahead of polls next year in which he will seek a second term. Joho said the mining sector currently contributes around 1 percent of Kenya’s GDP, but that the government wants to increase that to 10 percent within the next decade.

Washington has unveiled investments across Africa as it looks to challenge China’s access to minerals needed for the digital infrastructure, the energy transition, and defense equipment, though it could be years before the new US projects become productive. African nations, meanwhile, have sought to capture more value from the supply chain: Leaders complain that refining and processing is largely done overseas and are increasingly pushing for investments and job-creation at home.