Kenya and the U.S. are close to a substantial mineral deal that could unlock, among others, the minerals in Mrima Hill in Kwale County, which are estimated to have an in-ground value of roughly Ksh 8.1 trillion.

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Furthermore, Kenya will no longer support arrangements that allow its natural resources to be exported in raw form under the agreement reached between President William Ruto and President Donald Trump on Wednesday, June 17.

Speaking to Reuters, President Ruto said the agreement will cover rare earths and other strategic minerals and is set to be completed 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.

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Adding, "We have agreed that the minerals ​will be processed in Kenya."

Addressing leaders at the G7 Summit on Thursday, President Ruto insisted that critical minerals must be processed locally to create jobs, industries, and wealth for citizens.

Ruto said the shift reflects a broader shift across Africa toward value addition and away from decades of resource extraction that has largely benefited foreign economies.

"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 said.

The President noted that the approach mirrors efforts underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities are increasingly pushing for mineral processing and manufacturing to take place closer to the source of extraction.

Kenya is seeking to position itself as a regional processing hub, leveraging its untapped deposits of rare earth minerals, niobium, lithium, graphite, copper, and nickel.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke