US miner, Almonty Industries has agreed a partnership with Rwanda to source and process tungsten, strengthening Western efforts to reduce dependence on China.

Under the binding agreement disclosed on September 14, 2026, Rwanda will acquire a 25% stake in a local Almonty unit by contributing an exploration concession and a processing licence. Almonty, headquartered in Dillon, Montana, will retain the remaining 75%, Bloomberg reported.

The partnership is intended to provide Western customers with additional tungsten supplies while expanding Rwanda’s domestic processing capacity.

Almonty Chief Executive Officer Lewis Black said the US government helped structure the agreement and provided political backing but is not contributing funding. He said tungsten from the venture will be supplied to customers in the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea.

Rather than wait for a new mine to come online, the partners plan to purchase ore, pre-concentrate and panning tailings from licensed Rwandan producers, including small-scale miners.

The venture also plans to deploy a mobile processing unit near existing tailings dams while exploring the approximately 32-square-kilometre Shyorongi concession

The approach is designed to generate near-term supply while the partners develop a permanent collection and processing operation.

Rwanda’s existing mining industry also presents traceability and compliance challenges.

Bloomberg reported that Rwanda has faced longstanding allegations that tungsten originating in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi is smuggled into the country and subsequently exported as Rwandan material.

The new venture will therefore have to ensure that production from Rwanda’s fragmented small-scale sector meets Western requirements for labour practices, environmental standards and traceability.

Black described the arrangement as both a short-term response to Western supply constraints and an effort to formalise Rwanda’s mining sector. He said the company is interested only in licensed domestic production and intends to strengthen traceability.

Rwanda is the only African country among the world’s 10 largest tungsten producers, according to Bloomberg, while the Nyakabingo mine is described as the continent’s largest. Vancouver-based Trinity Metals operates the mine.

Trinity said in June that more than 320 tonnes of high-grade concentrate from Nyakabingo had been shipped to a processing facility in Pennsylvania since an offtake agreement was reached in 2025.

The shipments can supply as much as 20% of US primary tungsten concentrate consumption, Bloomberg reported.

The deal comes as tungsten becomes increasingly strategic for Western governments and manufacturers. China dominates global tungsten mining and processing, while export restrictions imposed by Beijing have contributed to tighter supplies and higher prices.

Tungsten is used in products including semiconductors and armour-piercing weaponry. Prices have risen more than eightfold since Beijing placed certain tungsten products under export controls in February 2025, reaching almost $3,000 per metric-ton unit.

The price surge accelerated earlier in 2026 as buyers depleted stockpiles and conflict in the Middle East increased attention on military demand, although prices have stabilised in recent months.

Higher prices alone may not resolve supply shortages. Investment researchers at The Oregon Group cited financing, permitting and construction constraints facing new projects, increasing the importance of government backing and long-term offtake agreements.

Almonty is developing a major tungsten mine in South Korea and operates projects in Portugal, with additional projects in Spain and the United States.

The Rwanda agreement is intended to expand the country’s mining and processing industry while creating longer-term mineral supply links between Rwanda and the United States.