"During a meeting at the White House last month, Trump administration officials urged an Australian mining executive to sell his firm's interest in a major African lithium project to a US company an unusual session that offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the administration's deal-brokering as it pursues an ambitious and controversial policy on critical minerals. People familiar with the Jan. 21 meeting described it as an effort by the White House and US State Department to persuade Perth-based AVZ"
"The only US firm that's known to have an interest in taking over AVZ's claim to the Manono lithium project is KoBold Metals, a Berkeley, California-based, AI-driven exploration startup whose backers include billionaires Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Marc Andreessen. KoBold, which has the support of the Congolese government, has offered to acquire AVZ's interest at a price that AVZ executives consider far less than reasonable, according to people familiar with the offer."
White House officials urged AVZ Minerals to sell its interest in the Manono lithium deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a US company during a Jan. 21 meeting aimed at advancing critical-minerals objectives. The White House and State Department sought to persuade Perth-based AVZ Minerals Ltd. to transfer its claim. AVZ managing director Nigel Ferguson said the White House encouraged a commercially responsible deal with a vetted, genuinely American company but did not name a buyer. KoBold Metals, backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Marc Andreessen and supported by the Congolese government, offered a price AVZ executives consider far less than reasonable. US officials said they are collaborating with Congolese counterparts to identify US investment opportunities in the DRC, including critical minerals.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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