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Democratic Republic Of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a central African country and the second-largest nation on the continent by area, covering about 2.3-million square kilometres. Its capital is Kinshasa, and the country has an estimated population exceeding 100-million, making it one of Africa's most populous states. The economy is heavily reliant on mining, with the Democratic Republic of Congo holding the world's largest reserves of cobalt and significant deposits of copper, diamonds, gold, coltan and other minerals critical to global technology and energy-transition supply chains. Agriculture also employs a large share of the workforce, with key exports including coffee, palm oil and timber. The national currency is the Congolese franc. The country operates as a semi-presidential republic, though governance has been marked by prolonged conflict, weak institutions and corruption. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a member of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Its vast mineral wealth contrasts sharply with widespread poverty and underdevelopment, exacerbated by decades of war, displacement and poor infrastructure. The eastern provinces remain affected by armed groups and intercommunal violence, complicating efforts to exploit resources and deliver services. Since independence from Belgium in 1960, the country has experienced dictatorship under Mobutu Sese Seko, civil wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and contested elections, with ongoing efforts to stabilise governance and attract foreign investment in the mining sector.

Latest Articles in 60 Seconds

Ebola outbreak deepens as body transport raises spread fears

The UN's International Organization for Migration has warned that transporting Ebola victims' bodies across the Democratic Republic of Congo for home funerals risks further spreading the Bundibugyo strain, with more than 2 000 cases and 700 deaths recorded in Congo and Uganda as of July 14. Seven American aid workers who treated patients in Congo are now quarantining at a new US-built isolation facility in Kenya, after Washington introduced a rule requiring citizens returning from Congo to spend three weeks in a third country.

Kamoa-Kakula and Kipushi post record output

Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula copper complex produced 64 328 t of copper in the second quarter of 2026 and maintains 2026 guidance of 290 000 t to 330 000 t, while its Kipushi zinc mine produced a record 70 177 t of zinc in concentrate, an 8% quarter-on-quarter rise.

Zijin begins Congo's first lithium exports

Zijin Mining has started shipping lithium concentrate from its Manono project to China, marking Congo's first lithium exports and deepening Chinese dominance of the country's critical minerals sector, though volumes remain limited amid processing delays.

Democratic Republic Of Congo Updates


Africa should have infrastructure that connects its countries
Innovatively expanding infrastructure to accommodate diverse value chains likely to boost Africa's economies
17th July 2026 By: Schalk Burger

Uganda, in 2015, worked with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to build roads in the eastern DRC, which enabled goods manufactured in Uganda to be exported to this region, benefitting Uganda... 


Looking north over the newly built Kansoko Sud boxcut, which is expected to start underground development in ore from the first quarter of 2027. The new boxcut will support the increase in production to between 380 000 t and 420 000 t of copper in 2027.
Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, Democratic Republic of Congo – update
17th July 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

Ivanhoe Mines has maintained 2026 production guidance at 290 000 t to 330 000 t of copper in anode or blister, and 2027 guidance at 380 000 t to 420 000 t. 


Aerial view over Kipushi’s newly expanded tailings storage facility. The Kipushi Mine has the smallest tailings storage facility of any major base metal mine globally.
Kipushi zinc/copper/lead/germanium mine, Democratic Republic of Congo – update
17th July 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

Kipushi produced a record 70 177 t of zinc in concentrate in the second quarter of 2026. 


America’s deportation dump
17th July 2026 By: Martin Zhuwakinyu

Donald Trump’s US is at it again. Just when I thought Washington had exhausted its list of African countries willing to receive migrants it doesn’t want, along comes another. This time, it’s the... 


LONG SHADOW: The outbreak, this year, of the Ebola virus in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo involved a combination of factors that made it particularly difficult to contain. It involved the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine. The number of confirmed cases rose rapidly, along with the death toll. It also occurred at a time when health funding and aid from international agencies had been reduced. All these factors have hindered containment efforts and underline how decisions taken in one part of the world can cast a long shadow elsewhere.
Photograph: Reuters
LONG SHADOW
17th July 2026 By: Creamer Media Reporter

The outbreak, this year, of the Ebola virus in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo involved a combination of factors that made it particularly difficult to contain. It involved the rare... 


Electric taxis are undergoing trials in South Africa
All African countries can play a role in the automotive value chain, AAAM CEO says
16th July 2026 By: Schalk Burger

There are significant opportunities to develop component manufacturing in Africa to supply vehicle manufacturers, and each country can play a role in the automotive value chain, industry... 


The Manono project area
Zijin starts Congo lithium exports to China, sources say
16th July 2026 By: Reuters

China's Zijin has started exporting lithium concentrate from its Manono project in Democratic Republic of Congo, five sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. "Exports started in June as... 


Industries require reliable power, while developing the energy industry can create local demand
Africa needs power to accelerate industrialisation
16th July 2026 By: Schalk Burger

Power in Africa is not only an issue of infrastructure, but also an economic issue because industry requires reliable, affordable and sustainable energy. Industrial competitiveness is impossible... 


Vodacom Group, Wits University partner to develop Africa’s future leaders
16th July 2026 By: Natasha Odendaal

Telecommunications giant Vodacom Group has partnered with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) on a leadership development initiative designed to prepare the next generation of leaders for... 


A doctor in PPE
Congo Ebola outbreak disrupts US-backed minerals talks, sources say
15th July 2026 By: Reuters

A worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is disrupting travel and delaying meetings tied to a US-backed critical minerals partnership aimed at loosening China's hold on... 


Trafigura backs out of Angola transmission line project sources say
15th July 2026 By: Reuters

Trafigura has walked away from a proposed 2 000 MW transmission line that would have carried surplus hydropower from Angola to copper and cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and... 


Deputy President Paul Mashatile
Regional integration, standardised technology and ecosystems to lead to manufacturing growth
14th July 2026 By: Schalk Burger

Manufacturing is the backbone of any successful industrial economy, but domestic demand is typically insufficient to develop sustainable industrial sectors. To achieve the industrial development... 


Mine trucks in operation at a mine in the DRC
Congo's planned mining law reform could dent investor confidence, industry warns
14th July 2026 By: Reuters

Democratic Republic of Congo's main mining industry body has warned that proposed changes to mining laws aimed at tightening state control could dent investor confidence in the world's top cobalt... 


A generic image of a tin mining project
Alphamin posts higher second-quarter Ebitda guidance, tin output remains on target
14th July 2026 By: Lumkile Nkomfe

TSX-V- and JSE-listed tin mining company Alphamin Resources expects to report a 6% quarter-on-quarter increase in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) to... 


DRC President Felix Tshisekedi
Heavy-handed revenue enforcement a threat to Congo mining sector, warns president
13th July 2026 By: Reuters

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has ordered state revenue agencies to refrain from heavy-handed enforcement operations against mining companies, warning that excessive measures could dent... 


Copper cathode produced in the DRC
Congo taps Portugal’s Mota-Engil to revive copper rail link
13th July 2026 By: Bloomberg

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a plan to partner with Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil SGPS on rehabilitating a key railway used for transporting copper and cobalt. The... 


Ore in truck
China expands strategic mineral toolkit with new investment firm
13th July 2026 By: Bloomberg

A new, Beijing-backed mining investment vehicle is aimed at bolstering China’s grip on overseas resources, as the country pushes back against US and European efforts to curb its dominance of the... 


The cranes at the Lobito Port in Angola
Corridor makes significant progress
10th July 2026 By: Halima Frost

The development and use of the Lobito Corridor – a multimodal logistics corridor that spans Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia – has progressed significantly over the past 12... 


a remotely set up modular emulsions manufacturing plant designed by BME
Modular emulsion plants benefit remote mines
10th July 2026 By: Halima Frost

Mining explosives and blasting technology supplier BME’s modular emulsion manufacturing plants are addressing the extreme and remote conditions of the African mining sector, as they reduce exposure... 


Image of Lobito railway
Lobito Corridor railway project, Angola – update
10th July 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

The project has achieved financial close on its financing package. 


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pqt: 0.115s - ct: 0.176s - 288pq - 2rq
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