Diamond production in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains largely artisanal, as shown by recent provisional data from the Ministry of Mines’ Technical Unit for Coordination and Mining Planning (CTCPM). In the first half of 2024, artisanal miners produced 3,319,025 carats, making up nearly 68% of the nation’s totalContinue Reading
On Monday, October 21, 2024, authorities officially closed an artisanal and illegal diamond mine in Kanshi commune, Eastern Kasai, to protect residents’ lives, according to a report from the Council of Ministers. “The governor has ordered the permanent closure of Kanshi’s artisanal diamond mine and the implementation of enhanced surveillanceContinue Reading
China State Construction Engineering, a state-owned enterprise, has committed to supporting the Kinshasa city expansion project. This pledge was made during a meeting between Governor Daniel Bumba and a company delegation on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at the Hilton Hotel. The urbanization initiative aims to ease congestion in the CongoleseContinue Reading
The presence and movement of foreign individuals in mining areas were key topics during the eighteenth meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday, October 18, 2024. In his address, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi expressed concerns about illegal foreign operations in the country’s mining regions. He emphasized that while the miningContinue Reading
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is actively seeking new investors to diversify its mining sector, currently dominated by China, according to Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba. The DRC, home to world-class deposits of key metals like copper and cobalt, is looking to attract a wider range of investors by streamliningContinue Reading
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) state-owned mining company has submitted a bid to acquire Chemaf Resources’ local unit, after previously signaling opposition to a planned sale of the copper and cobalt miner to a Chinese investor. Chemaf, backed by Trafigura Group, spent nine months searching for a buyer beforeContinue Reading
An investigation by La Guardia Magazine highlights the severe health consequences of intensive cobalt mining in Kolwezi, DRC, particularly on women’s reproductive health. From 2018 to 2023, cobalt production surged by 63%, increasing from 104,000 tons to 170,000 tons due to rising global demand for this essential mineral for energyContinue Reading
Kizito Pakabomba, the Congolese Minister of Mines, dismissed the proposal to create a separate financial authority for the mining sector during a press café in Kinshasa, organized by the mining registry. Pakabomba contended that forming another agency would introduce unnecessary bureaucracy, citing concerns from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regardingContinue Reading
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has strongly condemned the United States Department of Labor’s inclusion of Congolese cobalt on its 2024 list of goods produced through child or forced labor. The DRC government labeled the decision as “unjustified,” arguing that it fails to recognize the substantial reforms made inContinue Reading
Eurasian Resources Group’s (ERG) Metalkol operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially embarked on the Copper Mark assurance process, following the signing of a letter of commitment on September 12. The Copper Mark, established in 2020, is an assurance framework designed to promote responsible sourcing and productionContinue Reading
