18 Recommendations to Improve Mining and Industrial Governance from the DRC-Africa Battery Metals Forum 2023

After two days of deliberation, from September 20 to September 21, 2023, on improving mining and industrial governance in Africa as a whole and particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), participants in the Forum DRC-Africa 2023 have formulated 18 recommendations to achieve this goal.

Organized under the theme: “Creating wealth in the value chain of the battery metals industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Africa,” this economic gathering brought together various economic stakeholders operating in the mining sector and political decision-makers, including those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zambia, as well as several accredited ambassadors in the DRC.

During these two days of proceedings, eight (8) panels were organized under different themes, where experts from the mining and industrial sectors, government representatives, professors, and other professionals from both sectors debated openly.

Below are the 18 recommendations formulated by the participants in the first edition of the DRC-Africa forum on battery metals:

1. In accordance with the Mining Code of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, participants recommend a comprehensive law on industries, which would be called the Industrial Code.
2. Make the DRC, by 2040, a destination for investments in electric batteries.
3. Pool efforts among African states, like the DRC and Zambia, to ensure that investments in the mining sector and the manufacturing industry are effective for a genuine renaissance.
4. Seek expertise and genuine technology to sustain wealth creation in the value chain of the metals and battery industry in Africa, especially in the DRC.
5. Adopt clean models of collaboration in the DRC and Zambia while drawing inspiration from Chinese and American models.
6. Continue genealogical research to enhance knowledge about our mineral resources.
7. Measure and certify mining deposits according to profitable economic processes and plans.
8. Increase the continent’s supply of battery metals.
9. Implement the action plan established for financing green technology research and development projects, relying on the skills of the youth.
10. Define a specific production agenda for the first battery or electric vehicle precursors through the DRC-Zambia partnership to maximize sales opportunities given the volatility of the battery metals market.
11. Encourage mining companies to engage with technology companies in the mining value chain looking to establish themselves in Africa in general and the DRC in particular.
12. Develop regulations and a framework to attract investors and facilitate local transformation of electric battery metals.
13. Improve governance in the mining sector by seeking the capacities of state actors.
14. Add substance to existing legal frameworks to enhance the benefits of Congolese mining operations.
15. Review the management mode of the 0.3% allocation from mining companies for the development of local communities.
16. Establish a financial market in the DRC to incorporate small savings and the 60% of funds repatriated by mining operators into public investments.
17. Apply financial prestige regarding funding.
18. Create and develop special economic zones to act as a shield against negative influences in improving the business climate.