DRC - Mines - World's leading producer of cobalt

The DRC holds more than 501 TEUs of the world's reserves, mainly located in the Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces. It supplies more than 701 TEUs of the volumes issued on the market of this mineral, which it has classified as a "strategic metal" in its new mining code.

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Globally, cobalt reserves amount to 7,188 kilotonnes (kt), of which the DRC possesses 501 tt³t, followed by Australia and Cuba with 201 tt³t and 7.01 tt³t respectively. During the 2010s, the surge in cobalt demand led to a reshuffling of the market in the DRC, with the emergence of new players, particularly Chinese groups. These include mining giants, cobalt refiners, and manufacturers of finished products, which, over the years, have strengthened their positions upstream in the value chain and in processing facilities.

Examples include Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, a global supplier of cobalt; China Railway Group, a leader in the manufacture of machinery and equipment; the mining companies China Molybdenum Co (CMOC) and China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC); Jinchuan Group, the world's second-largest producer of cobalt; Hong Kong Excellen Mining Investment; Tenngyuan Cobalt Industry; and CATL (a world leader in batteries), which operate in partnership with Gécamines and own their subsidiaries at 100%.

Chinese-owned companies do not dominate the sector. The Swiss company Glencore, the leading producer, controls Kamoto Copper Co (KCC) and Mutanda Mining (Mumi). The Kazakh company Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has several subsidiaries, including Metalkol, and the Indian community is also active in the industry (Chemaf and Somika). However, apart from Gécamines, Congolese private operators hold a minority stake.

In 2020, 70% of the country's cobalt production was provided by five companies: KCC (Glencore), Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM, owned by CMOC), Metalkol (ERG), Somidez (CNMC) and STL (Gécamines).

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As the world leader in cobalt refining and the main manufacturer of batteries, China controls the Congolese sector where more than 80% of production is destined for it.

In 2022, the Chinese mining company CMOC increased its investments, thus confirming the DRC's position among the world's top producers of cobalt and copper. It should be noted that CMOC is among the top three base metal traders in the world and a leader in the international mining industry, with cumulative investments exceeding $7 billion.

Approximately 125,387 tonnes of copper and 10,465 tonnes of cobalt were produced in the various mines across the country.

In 2023, the Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) mixed ore project and the KFM development will bring TFM an additional annual production of 200,000 tonnes of copper and 17,000 tonnes of cobalt. The Kisanfu mine, meanwhile, is expected to produce an average of 90,000 tonnes of copper and 30,000 tonnes of cobalt.

Located in Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, Sicomines is one of the world's richest copper-cobalt mines. It is divided into six sections, covering a total area of 11.5 square kilometers. Its ore reserves are estimated at 250 million tons, including copper with a grade of 3.221 TP3T and cobalt with a grade of 0.1921 TP3T. Its copper yield can reach 8.55 million tons, and its cobalt yield, 0.51 million tons.