Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to tighten control over geological data that guides billions of Dollars in mining exploration, potentially extending state influence over the development of future mineral discoveries.
The country is accelerating geological mapping, airborne surveys and digitisation of historical archives to build a comprehensive national geological databank on its critical minerals and reduce exploration risk, officials say.
The plan will tighten Kinshasa’s grip on the world’s biggest cobalt producer and second-largest copper supplier, according to an official and seven industry sources, and could be even more significant than the country’s policies that reshaped the global cobalt market, some analysts say.
A nationwide geological mapping programme has gained momentum this year after a $180 million contract with Spain’s Xcalibur, a global leader in geodata mapping, began in January, Raoul Wazenga Vitima, Director General of the National Geological Survey of Congo.
The project is one of several ongoing mapping programmes in the country, funded by the government, mining revenues and international partners, with results fed into the national geological databank, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026, Vitima said.
–Reuters–
