Rwanda is betting on industrial-scale mining to rebrand itself from a hub of conflict minerals to a credible global supplier of critical metals. At the center of that push is Nyakabingo, Africa’s largest tungsten mine, which now feeds directly into US defense supply chains as Western buyers seek alternatives to China’s dominance. Backed by foreign capital, Rwanda is tightening traceability through “closed-pipe” systems that track these metals from pit to processor. With this move, Kigali aims to prove its minerals are conflict-free. However, the strategy faces a severe credibility crisis as the M23 rebels’ campaign in Congo floods the market with untraceable ore, overwhelming international oversight schemes. Even so, Kigali is pressing ahead, aiming to combine peace efforts with mineral processing to become a regional value-addition hub.
Financial Times
