The Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to become a leading supplier of critical minerals for the energy transition as it starts drilling for nickel and chrome this month.The country, already one of the world’s leading providers of cobalt and copper, is also looking at expanding its operations in cobalt, tantalum, tin and lithium.Speaking in Cape Town recently, President Felix Tshisekedi said the country’s potential had barely been tapped, with only 20% of national resources researched. “The DRC is very underexplored. That is the reason why we have launched a large campaign of geological servicing to find new deposits in a variety of minerals. Exploration for nickel and chrome will start in the Kasai region in the next few days and our objective is to discover new deposits followed by tenders for new public-private partnerships.”Tshisekedi said the DRC wanted to position itself as a key source of metals in the green energy transition.“The DRC will use mining to boost growth. There are hundreds of minerals in the DRC and the opportunities are endless. What is important going forward, however, is that natural resources must benefit the country as well.”He said decades of poor governance had left the DRC impoverished, despite its strong mining sector. “It is sad to note that these abundant natural resources have still not benefited the country, let alone Africa, because of issues of poor governance rooted for decades – as well as insecurity cleverly orchestrated by dark powers greedy for our natural resources, as is currently the case in the eastern part of the DRC.”He said his government was not only cleaning up the business environment but also addressing security concerns, such as those posed by Rwanda, to ensure the delivery of a safe and business-friendly mining jurisdiction.“The DRC is known for its mining potential, representing 1 100 different mineral substances. All its provinces can claim to have mineral wealth. It is a destination of choice that offers countless opportunities. Financiers, mining operators, equipment manufacturers, subcontractors, recyclers, everyone can find their share here.”He said it was not only in mining that the DRC had identified opportunity, but plans were under way to develop lithium processing plants in the country. Calling on the private sector to join in partnership with the DRC government, he said establishing mining processing was an important part of ensuring more beneficiation on the African continent.“The DRC is ready to play its role in solving the climate challenges on the planet thanks to its strategic mineral potential. At present, my country is already responsible for 60% of the world’s cobalt production, with the DRC being home to 50% of global reserves.”
