Cobalt miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be permitted to retain their 2025 export quotas after delays in implementing new export procedures prevented shipments from taking place, according to the country’s mining regulator.
The Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral Substances’ Markets (ARECOMS) said it is currently testing the new procedures and has assured mining companies that volumes allocated up to 31 December 2025 will not be forfeited. This indicates that unused quotas may be rolled over into 2026 once exports resume.
The announcement comes nearly two months after cobalt exports were expected to restart following the DRC government’s decision in February to suspend shipments and introduce a quota-based export system. The country accounts for approximately 75% of global cobalt production, supplying a metal critical to electric-vehicle batteries as well as aerospace and defence applications. Authorities introduced the controls to curb oversupply and stabilise prices.
“All means are being deployed to finalise the testing phase in the coming days, which will mark the resumption of cobalt exports from the DRC,” ARECOMS said in an emailed response. “The quotas from the last quarter will not be lost by mining companies. We are examining all implementation options to limit the impacts.”
Since the export suspension was imposed at a time when cobalt prices were near historic lows, market conditions have shifted sharply. Benchmark cobalt prices have more than doubled, while prices for cobalt hydroxide—the primary form exported from the DRC—have reportedly quadrupled.
Despite this rebound, the rollout of the quota system has caused confusion among miners, many of whom had expected to begin shipping stockpiled material by mid-October. ARECOMS previously stated in September that miners would be allowed to export just over 18,000 tonnes during the remainder of 2025, with annual limits of up to 96,600 tonnes for both 2026 and 2027.
These permitted volumes remain less than half of the country’s total cobalt production in 2024, highlighting the scale of the restrictions.
The regulator has now clarified that once shipment procedures are finalised, miners will be allowed to export their entire 2025 quota, adding that the export process is currently being tested through a pilot programme involving a select group of mining operators.
