Belgium-DRC: Former colonial power Belgium retains diamond mining interests in the DRC
Former colonial power Belgium retains mining interests in the DRC, particularly in diamonds and critical metals. Brussels is now demonstrating its willingness to strengthen its ties with Kinshasa, amid growing geopolitical rivalries over Congolese minerals.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (pictured, right) indicated this week that the kingdom is willing to strengthen its relations with the DRC in the mining sector. While we await a response from Kinshasa and details of this additional commitment from Brussels, we take a look back at the existing ties between the former colonial power and the DRC in the area of mineral resources.
Belgium, second largest customer for Congolese diamonds
Belgium plays a relatively small role in the Congolese mining sector. Since the kingdom is not historically a mining country, it does not have any companies active in mining in the DRC. The former colonial power, however, is a prime destination for Congolese diamonds, thanks in part to the Belgian city of Antwerp, a global center of the diamond trade.
In 2024, statistics published by the Ministry of Mines show that the DRC exported 4.1 million carats to Belgium, worth $42.03 million. The kingdom thus accounts for 44% of Congolese diamond exports, second only to the United Arab Emirates, which imported 4.9 million carats worth $44.9 million.
Umicore – Gécamines partnership to counter China
Beyond diamond exports, Belgium has made progress in recent months in another, more strategic sector for the DRC: critical metals. Through the Belgian company Umicore, Belgium has become a partner of Gécamines in its ambition to challenge China’s dominance in global germanium supply.
The Congolese mining company signed an agreement in 2024 with the Belgian metal production and recycling company to refine germanium concentrates from the mining tailings site known as “Big Hill” in Lubumbashi. Gécamines announced the first exports to Belgium in October 2024, as part of its goal of supplying up to 30% of the world’s germanium supply.
” We have globally recognised expertise with players such as Umicore and John Cockerill [another metal processing company, Editor’s note] , who have the capacity to process all these rare critical materials ,” stressed the head of Belgian diplomacy, Maxime Prévot, quoted by Reuters .
A larger role to be determined
Belgium says it is ready to strengthen its engagement in mining value chains in the DRC, but has not yet made any specific investment or cooperation offers. Faced with Chinese dominance and growing US interest in ” minerals for security ” deals, the kingdom is seeking to position itself as a ” win-win ” industrial partner. Several avenues of collaboration could be explored in this regard.
In the diamond sector, where Congolese production has halved since 2017, Belgium could support the modernization of the industry. In the field of critical metals, greater involvement by Umicore alongside Gécamines could enable the DRC to better exploit its strategic resources locally.
Belgium could also play a role in strengthening mineral traceability by providing technical and financial support to improve supply chain transparency, a key issue for Kinshasa. Finally, Brussels could serve as an ally in making the Congolese voice heard within the European Union, particularly on the sensitive issue of the agreement signed in 2024 between the EU and Rwanda on critical minerals, which is contested by the Congolese government.
