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On the banks of the Congo River, a 5-star hotel for cobalt fortune hunters

By Dionne Searcey, Eric Lipton and Michael Forsythe
New York Times·
15 mins to read
On the banks of the Congo River, a 5-star hotel for cobalt fortune hunters
The Fleuve Congo Hotel in Kinshasa, Congo, rolls out the red carpet for the arrival of Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese president. Photo / Ashley Gilbertson, The New York Times

As the clean energy revolution upends the centuries-long lock of fossil fuels on the global economy, dealmakers and hustlers converge on the Fleuve Congo Hotel.

The lobby of the Fleuve Congo Hotel was a swirl of double-breasted suits and tailored dresses one April morning. Shiny gold watches dangled from wrists.

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