KoBold Metals Expands Copper and Lithium Exploration in DRC with 14 Permits
KoBold Metals Holds 14 Exploration Permits for Copper and Lithium Across 3,020 km² in the DRC
KoBold Metals has expanded its mineral exploration footprint in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to 14 active research permits covering approximately 3,020 square kilometres, as the US-backed company intensifies its search for lithium and copper deposits.
According to the DRC’s Mining Cadastre registry, as of September 30, 2026, KoBold Exploration DRC SA held 14 active permits covering 3,558 mining squares across Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami and Haut-Katanga provinces.
Seven permits were granted in 2026, reflecting the company’s expanding exploration campaign.
Eight permits cover 1,929 mining squares in Manono territory in Tanganyika Province and Malemba-Nkulu territory in Haut-Lomami.
Seven were awarded in August 2025, while the eighth was granted on January 28, 2026. Their expiry dates range from August 2030 to January 2031.
The remaining six permits cover 1,629 mining squares in Sakania territory, Haut-Katanga Province. Five were granted on March 17, 2026, and the sixth on May 6, 2026, with expiry dates falling in 2031.
KoBold’s exploration programme targets lithium and copper, two minerals critical to battery manufacturing, electrification and industrial development.
The company is using data-driven exploration methods, including artificial intelligence, to identify promising geological formations and guide drilling campaigns.
Expanding exploration around Manono
The company opened an office in Lubumbashi in February 2026, appointing Benjamin Katabuka as managing director of KoBold DRC.
The location also supports coordination with its Mingomba copper project in neighbouring Zambia.
KoBold co-founder and president Josh Goldman described the company’s work in the DRC as its largest lithium exploration effort in the country, alongside a substantial copper exploration campaign near the Zambian border.
The company is seeking a major discovery comparable to the Manono lithium deposit, one of the region’s significant lithium resources.
KoBold has also pursued a commercial arrangement with AVZ Minerals concerning AVZ’s interest in the Manono project.
In May 2025, the companies signed a framework agreement under which KoBold intended to acquire AVZ’s commercial interest and mobilise more than US$1 billion towards developing the project. However, the commercial agreement remained subject to finalisation, amid a dispute involving competing claims over the deposit.
KoBold has said the dispute has not slowed its wider exploration investment plans in the DRC.
Exploration remains at an early stage
The 14 permits grant KoBold the right to explore the designated areas; they do not authorise commercial mining.
Any transition to production would require successful exploration results, further technical and economic assessments, and the necessary approvals for exploitation.
The expansion underscores the growing competition to identify new critical mineral resources in the DRC, which is already a leading global producer of cobalt and a major copper supplier.
For KoBold, the additional permits broaden its exploration options across several mineral-rich provinces. Whether the programme results in commercially viable copper or lithium discoveries will depend on the findings of its ongoing geological surveys and drilling campaigns.
