How CVMR’s Kamran M. Khozan Is Rewiring the Global Critical Minerals Economy

Kamran M. Khozan does not deal in half-measures. When the Chairman and CEO of CVMR Corporation enters a country, it’s not for a feasibility study or to kick tires—it’s to rewire an entire industry. “We made a deal that encompasses the entire country,” Khozan said, recounting his recent mission to the Central African Republic (CAR). The agreement, finalized with the president and key ministers, grants CVMR 25-year rights to explore and develop uranium, nickel, coltan, gold, and copper across the nation—a sweeping concession that dwarfs typical resource deals.The path forward begins not with boots on the ground, but with eyes in the sky. Through CVMR’s subsidiary, Canadian Advanced Satellite Imaging (CASI), Khozan is deploying US$50 million in satellite reconnaissance to map the country’s mineral wealth. “The technology is highly advanced,” he explained. “You can even take a satellite image of a river or a lake and identify what pollutions exist in those lakes.” The raw data is then verified by drones and ground drilling every 50 meters—an undertaking that Khozan admits “takes about a year or two, and a lot of money. You have to have deep pockets and be very patient.”This isn’t merely about mineral rights—it’s about geopolitical realignment. With the Wagner Group’s influence in retreat and the Central African Republic recalibrating its alliances, Khozan’s arrival is as strategic as it is commercial. “The Russians were there at the behest of the United Nations,” he noted, careful not to cast aspersions but clear-eyed about the moment’s significance.“We are operating in a legacy of colonialism that must be understood.” Khozan pointed to the 1884 Berlin Conference as the historical fault line that still shapes African development today. His mission, in contrast, seeks to reverse the extractive economics of that era. CVMR’s commitment includes building domestic refining facilities in the CAR—a rarity in a region accustomed to exporting raw ore and importing value-added products at a premium.The plan fits within a broader vision that Khozan believes could redefine the continent’s future. “If Africa could unite,” he argued, “you would have a major competitive economic force in the world.” He recalled the January 2024 summit in Saudi Arabia, where 17 African nations came together to form the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG). “That group is only a year old,” Khozan said, “but they’re aiming to develop infrastructure, enable free trade among member states, and scale up exploration and refining capacity. Even tokenization and creating a pan-African mineral exchange are on the table.” The AMSG, he suggested, could be the platform that finally leverages Africa’s resource wealth into sustainable industrial power.From Bangui to the Balkans, CVMR’s industrial footprint is expanding. In Albania, the company has broken ground on not one, but two nickel refineries, with offtake agreements already signed. “We expect these to become functioning within the next 18 months,” Khozan said, citing port access in Durrës and operational mines under their control. “Clients would be Europeans, North Americans, and the Middle East. Very few countries in the Middle East.”And in the United States, where CVMR has worked with the Department of Energy and Department of Defense for over four decades, a new nickel and cobalt refining hub is taking shape in Corpus Christi, Texas. Originally planned for Amarillo, the shift came down to logistical sense. “We realized Amarillo was too far from where the shiploads of concentrates arrive,” Khozan said with characteristic pragmatism.