The first half of 2021, mining royalties from Lualaba and Haut-Katanga are valued at nearly USD 650 million

The contribution of the mining industry to the economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was strong during the year 2021, welcomed Mr. Louis Watum Kabamba, President of the Chamber of Mines of the Federation companies of the Congo (FEC).

During a press conference organized on Friday, October 21, 2022, at the Fleuve Congo Hotel, in Kinshasa, Mr. Louis Watum indeed indicated that the sum of 647,208,290 USD was paid to the Public Treasury, solely by the mining industry established in the two provinces of the country, namely Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, as mining royalties during the first half of 2021.

For the President of the Chamber of Mines of the FEC, these results demonstrate the rise of mining production with a lot of wealth created.

“It is estimated that 2,106,034 tonnes of copper will be produced in 2022, i.e. a variation of +17.9%. 139,416 tonnes of cobalt produced in 2022 compared to 107,123 tonnes recorded in 2021, i.e. a higher production increase of 30.1%. Cassiterite production reached an estimated volume of 28,680 tonnes in 2022 against 27,990 tonnes in 2021, i.e. a production increase rate of 2.5%. At least 31,698 tons of gold were produced in 2022 against 31,903 tons in 2021, which shows a variation of 2.4%. “, noted Mr. Louis Watum Kabamba.

This press conference was organized at the end of the three-day Forum focusing on the theme: “Mining activity in the DRC and its challenges: evaluation of the Revised Mining Code of 2018”.

During these meetings, several resolutions were adopted in response to the concerns of operators in the mining industry.

“We would like greater collaboration and support from the Government”, declared Mr. Louis Watum Kabamba while recalling the need to institutionalize a quarterly consultation platform between the Government and the mining sector; and maintaining efforts to improve the business climate.

According to the Coordinator of the Chamber of Mines, Bernadette Mpundu, this press conference, the fourth of its kind, is an opportunity to dispel all the misinformation conveyed to the Chamber of Mines and restore its image.

“We will never say it enough, the Chamber of Mines, in its prerogatives, communicates through its press conferences, truthful information on the mining sector, in order to dispel all misinformation conveyed by its detractors and restore the image of the sector to all levels. At the end of this fourth edition, we are convinced that you will leave here having learned definitively that the mining sector of our country is the lung of the Congolese economy and that the State must play its part in terms of transparency and allocation of funds from our mining industry. “, she said.

Apart from the holding of the Mining Forum, the third quarter of 2022 was marked by important achievements of the Chamber of Mines, including the official release of the National Club of Subcontractors and the organization of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Chamber of Mines.