肯尼亚矿业部长在接受Semafor采访时表示，关于美国协助肯尼亚发展关键矿产加工业的协议谈判已进入“非常深入”的阶段，该国正寻求提高矿业对其经济的贡献。
Talks over a deal that would see the US help develop Kenya’s critical minerals processing industry are at a “very advanced” stage, the African country’s mining minister told Semafor, as the nation looks to increase mining’s contribution to its economy.
此次谈判的背景是美中两国在获取关键矿产资源方面的竞争日益激烈。
The talks come against the backdrop of intensifying rivalry between the US and China over access to critical minerals.
哈桑·阿里·乔霍（Hassan Ali Joho）表示，与美国政府官员的讨论重点是在肯尼亚建立炼油厂和加工厂，并部分供应美国市场。他在采访中提到：“美国政府的多个部门参与了此次讨论，”并特别指出了美国商务部、国防部和国务院。他说：“关于承购方的讨论正在进行中，涉及多种产品、多个市场以及多种不同的利益诉求。”在乔霍发表上述评论的几周前，一位美国高级官员曾表示，美国已准备好帮助肯尼亚发展其本土矿产加工业。
Hassan Ali Joho said discussions with US government officials were over the creation of refineries and processing plants in Kenya that partly supply the US. “Several departments of the US [government] are involved in the discussion,” he said in an interview, specifically referencing the US departments of commerce, defense, and state. “Off-taker discussions are ongoing, several products, several markets, several different interests.” The minister’s comments come weeks after a senior American official said the US was ready to help Kenya to develop its local mineral processing.
当被问及作为协议一部分的肯尼亚营商环境时，兼任矿业、蓝色经济和海洋事务部长的乔霍表示：“政府必须提供所有必要的激励措施，例如经济特区、港口准入、配套基础设施和税收优惠。”乔霍称，关于关键矿产伙伴关系的讨论与开发姆里马山（Mrima Hill）的招标过程“交织在一起”，该沿海矿床预计蕴藏着价值数百亿美元的稀土矿产。
Asked about the likely operating environment in Kenya as part of an agreement, Joho — minister for mining, blue economy, and maritime affairs — said: “There has to be all the necessary incentives that the government will provide, such as special economic zones, port access, support infrastructure, and tax concessions.” Joho said discussions about a critical mineral partnership were “intertwined” with the bidding process to develop Mrima Hill, a coastal deposit that is expected to contain tens of billions of dollars’ worth of rare earth minerals.
他说，初步地质研究表明，用于航空航天制造的金属铌存在于姆里马山。他补充说，早期评估显示钴、铜和镍也存在于肯尼亚。乔霍表示，有六家公司正在竞标姆里马山项目，包括美国公司以及来自澳大利亚和中国的公司。他说，竞标程序将于10月底结束，随后政府将与优先选定的公司举行会谈并达成协议。
He said initial geological studies suggested niobium, a metal used in aerospace manufacturing, is present in Mrima Hill. He added that early stage assessments indicated cobalt, copper, and nickel were also present in Kenya Joho said six companies were competing in the bidding process for the Mrima Hill project, including American firms and others from Australia and China. He said the bidding process would end in late October, after which the government would hold talks with a preferred company and agree on a deal.
矿业部长表示，该行业目前贡献肯尼亚GDP的约1%，但政府的目标是在未来十年内将这一贡献率提高到10%。
The mining minister said the sector currently contributes around 1% of Kenya’s GDP, but that the government was targeting a 10% contribution within the next decade.
“我们正在实现多元化：我们一直是服务型经济，也是农业型经济；但现在我们热衷于开放矿业部门，”乔霍说，他补充道，在当地加工材料为推动工业化和为肯尼亚人创造财富提供了机会。
“We are diversifying: we have been a service economy, we have been an agro economy; but now we are keen on opening up the mining sector,” said Joho, adding that the processing materials locally offered the opportunity to drive industrialization and generate wealth among Kenyans.
华盛顿已宣布与包括刚果（金）、尼日利亚和赞比亚在内的几个非洲国家达成协议，旨在确保获得其认为对其经济利益至关重要的矿产。此举正值与中国的竞争日益激烈之际，中国主导着数据中心建设、国防装备和能源转型所需矿产的全球供应链。”非洲各国政府正优先考虑本地增值而非原矿出口，并专注于提高加工能力。
Washington has announced agreements with several African countries — including DR Congo, Nigeria, and Zambia — aimed at securing access to minerals it deems critical to its economic interests. The move comes amid intensifying rivalry with China, which dominates global supply chains for minerals needed for data center construction, defense equipment, and the energy transition.” Governments across Africa are prioritizing local value addition instead of raw minerals exports and are focused on improving processing capacity.
肯尼亚总统威廉·鲁托已将通过工业化创造财富作为其在明年大选前向选民承诺的重点，他将在明年大选中寻求连任。
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.
鲁托本月命令塔塔化学公司“收拾包袱离开”该国。他指责这家出口纯碱的公司未能在当地加工矿产以制造玻璃和创造就业机会。总统的言论是在乔霍下令这家印度化工公司暂停其一个工厂的运营几周后发表的，理由是据称未能满足监管要求，该公司已否认这一指控。乔霍表示，政府仍在与塔塔化学公司就将决定该公司在该国未来的“合规问题”进行谈判。矿业部长表示，政府可能会在未来六个月内开启招标程序，允许其他公司在肯尼亚运营，重点关注加工领域。“我想看到优质玻璃在国内生产，”他说。“我想看到纯碱从我们自己的资源中供给我们的工业。所以对话主要围绕增值展开。
Ruto this month ordered Tata Chemicals to “pack up and leave” the country. He accused the company, which exports soda ash, of failing to process minerals locally to make glass and create jobs. The president’s comments came weeks after Joho ordered the Indian chemicals company to suspend operations at one of its plants due an alleged failure to meet regulatory requirements, which the firm has denied. Joho said the government remained in talks with Tata Chemicals about “compliance issues” that would determine the company’s future in the country. The mining minister said the government was likely to open up a bidding process within the next six months for other companies to operate in Kenya with a focus on processing. “I want to see fine glass produced in-country,” he said. “I want to see the soda ash feed into our industries from our own resources. So the conversation largely is about value addition.