For the president, countries that hold mineral resources must cooperate to “add value” to territories
The president (PT) stated that Latin and African countries that hold mineral resources must cooperate to “add value to territories and avoid neo-extractive attacks”. The statement was made this Saturday (21 March 2026) during a speech at the 1st Celac-Africa Forum, in Colombia.
Brazil and the United States carry out negotiations for the exploration of rare minerals in the country . Despite this, the government has North American. Lula even said that he will not just accept exporting critical minerals and will demand that the commodity be .
On Wednesday (18 March), the United States Chargé d’Affaires in Brazil, Gabriel Escobar, stated that the government of Donald Trump (Republican Party) awaits a “formal response” about possible exploration of rare earths.
Rare earths are considered strategic inputs for the energy and digital transition. They are used in the manufacture of batteries, wind turbines, electric vehicles, chips and military equipment. The global dispute over these minerals has increased in recent years, especially amid the commercial and technological rivalry between the United States and China. Brazil has the 2nd largest reserves of these ores in the world.
TECHNOLOGY
In his speech, the president also cited the importance of the development of technology, including artificial intelligence, in the development of countries participating in the forum. “Investment in digital infrastructure will be key to overcoming chronic shortcomings in our regions in terms of high technology”, he stated.
The PT member mentioned Pbia (Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan), which includes two lines of financing for the relationship with Africa and Latin America: US$20 million for joint projects and US$10 million for the use of Brazilian infrastructure.
Pbia was launched during the 5th National Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation and establishes an investment of R$23 billion over 4 years in actions focused on AI.
It also declared that the international cooperation model must align with digital governance and fundamental rights to maintain the sovereignty of nations. He said that the regulation of “the digital world is not a control mechanism, but an instrument for inclusion and protection of people”.
At Celac (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), the president said that Brazil is updating legislation with digital sovereignty in mind, citing the example of ECA Digital. According to Lula, the law, which came into force on Tuesday (17th March), aims to “keeping our children safe in the digital world”.
