DRC Suspends Artisanal Copper-Cobalt Processing to Strengthen Mining Sector 1 Mining in DRC Artisanal mining Battery Metals Cobalt Copper 

DRC Suspends Artisanal Copper-Cobalt Processing to Strengthen Mining Sector

DRC Minister of Mines Suspends Artisanal Copper and Cobalt Processing Amid Traceability Push The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Mines, Louis Watum Kabamba, has taken decisive action by signing Ministerial Order No. 00964/CAB.MIN/MINES/01/2025 on December 19, 2025, suspending all mining and marketing activities carried out by entities processing minerals from artisanal copper and cobalt mining. The suspension specifically targets processing units, including purchasing offices and similar structures, involved in the acquisition, processing, and marketing of minerals sourced from artisanal mining sites. Legally established industrial mining operations are not affected.… Read More Here
DRC Cobalt Prices Rally as Export Controls Reshape Global Supply 2 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

DRC Cobalt Prices Rally as Export Controls Reshape Global Supply

Cobalt Prices Surge in 2025 as DRC Export Suspension and Quotas Tighten Global Supply Cobalt, a strategic mineral for which the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains the world’s leading producer, has recorded a strong price recovery on international markets since November 2025. Widely used in electronics, electric vehicles, and energy transition technologies, the metal is benefiting from policy measures introduced by the Congolese government, particularly the suspension of exports after prices fell to nearly USD 21,000 per metric ton earlier in the year. Market data compiled by Deskeco shows… Read More Here
DRC Intensifies Mineral Beneficiation to Expand Local Value Addition 3 Mining in DRC Cobalt Copper 

DRC Intensifies Mineral Beneficiation to Expand Local Value Addition

Mineral Beneficiation in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Strengthening Value Addition and Industrial Growth The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is strengthening its mineral beneficiation agenda as part of a broader effort to reposition its mining sector around domestic value addition and industrial development. By prioritizing local processing through Special Economic Zones (SEZs), smelters, and refineries, the country is moving away from a historical reliance on raw mineral exports toward a more integrated and higher-value mining economy. At the core of this strategy is the development of industrial zones designed… Read More Here
DRC Cobalt Prices Rise Sharply on International Markets as Global Demand Accelerates 4 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

DRC Cobalt Prices Rise Sharply on International Markets as Global Demand Accelerates

Cobalt Prices Surge on Global Markets, Strengthening the DRC’s Economic Outlook Cobalt prices are maintaining an upward trajectory on international markets, confirming a trend that has been underway for several weeks. According to data from the National Market Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the price of this strategic metal stood at USD 50,958 per tonne during the week of December 15–19, 2025, up from USD 48,472 per tonne the previous week. This increase represents a weekly gain of USD 2,486, reflecting renewed interest in a raw material that… Read More Here
DRC Cobalt Hydroxide Exports Delayed Amid Complex New Quota System 5 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

DRC Cobalt Hydroxide Exports Delayed Amid Complex New Quota System

DRC Cobalt Hydroxide Shipments Stalled as New Export Quota System Drives Global Price Surge The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s largest producer of cobalt—a critical metal for electric vehicle batteries and advanced technologies—is undergoing a major reorganization of its export system. Despite the official lifting of the export suspension in October 2025, no shipments of cobalt hydroxide have yet left the country, according to Tom Matthews, PhD, senior battery materials analyst at CRU, an international commodity analysis firm. In its fourth-quarter market outlook, CRU highlighted several key developments.… Read More Here
Glencore Launches First Cobalt Exports Under DRC’s New Quota Regime 6 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

Glencore Launches First Cobalt Exports Under DRC’s New Quota Regime

Congo Resumes Cobalt Exports With Glencore’s First Shipment, Easing Global Supply Pressures Glencore has become the first mining company to export cobalt under the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) newly introduced quota system, sending an initial pilot shipment to test compliance procedures, according to government and industry sources. Authorities cleared the shipment this week, pending payment of a 10 percent royalty. The approval marks the first resumption of exports after a months-long suspension that tightened global supply and contributed to sharply higher cobalt prices. The DRC produces more than 70… Read More Here
Cobalt Prices Rise as DRC Strengthens Control Over Strategic Mineral 7 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

Cobalt Prices Rise as DRC Strengthens Control Over Strategic Mineral

DRC Cobalt Prices Increase to USD 48,472/ton as Government Tightens Export Rules and Boosts Market Influence Cobalt, one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most important mineral exports, is showing renewed momentum on international markets. According to projections from the National Market Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the metal is expected to trade at USD 48,472 per ton during the week of December 8–13, 2025, up from USD 47,886 the previous week—an increase of USD 586. This upward trend is driven by strong global demand, particularly from the… Read More Here
Mercuria and Gécamines Launch Copper and Cobalt Trading Venture in the DRC 8 Mining in DRC Cobalt Copper Corporate News 

Mercuria and Gécamines Launch Copper and Cobalt Trading Venture in the DRC

New Mercuria–Gécamines Joint Venture Aims to Boost Copper and Cobalt Exports from the DRC Mercuria Energy Trading has launched a metals-trading joint venture with Gécamines, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state-owned mining company, to market copper and cobalt acquired through Gécamines’ equity stakes in local mining projects. According to Kostas Bintas, head of metals at Mercuria Energy Group, the venture could eventually market more than 500,000 tons of copper cathodes per year, in addition to substantial volumes of cobalt. The agreement coincides with recent cooperation between the United States and… Read More Here
U.S. Considers Over $1 Billion for Critical Minerals and Railway Projects in Central Africa 9 Copper Battery Metals Cobalt Mining in DRC 

U.S. Considers Over $1 Billion for Critical Minerals and Railway Projects in Central Africa

U.S. Advances Funding Talks for Mineral and Rail Projects in Central Africa The United States is in talks to provide more than $1 billion in support for two major initiatives in Central Africa, as Washington seeks to secure supplies of minerals considered essential for national security. According to the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the agency plans to back a new copper and cobalt partnership between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Gécamines and Switzerland’s Mercuria Energy Trading, along with a railway project connecting the DRC and several Central and… Read More Here
DRC Defends Cobalt Export Suspension as Strategic Move to Stabilize Global Prices 10 Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt 

DRC Defends Cobalt Export Suspension as Strategic Move to Stabilize Global Prices

DRC Says Cobalt Export Ban Prevented Market Crash as Prices Surge from $21,000 to $50,000 per Ton The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reaffirmed the rationale behind the temporary suspension of cobalt exports, a measure implemented by the Regulatory and Control Authority for Strategic Mineral Substances Markets (ARECOMS). Despite criticism from some stakeholders, the government maintains that the decision was necessary to protect the country’s strategic mineral and prevent a collapse in global prices. As the world’s leading holder of cobalt reserves, the DRC argued it had both the… Read More Here

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