Tag Archives: africa

#African Mining Week 2026 centres AI in mineral exploration

Posted on by Leave a comment

DRC leads on AI exploration

The DRC, one of Africa’s most resource-rich jurisdictions, has positioned AI at the centre of its exploration strategy. Speaking at last year’s AMW the country’s Minister of Mines said AI-enabled exploration has the potential to reduce resource-discovery timelines to under three years, and that the government is working to unlock 90 per cent of DRC’s geology and more than US$24 trillion in untapped mineral value.

Recent deployments back the rhetoric. In February 2026, the DRC partnered with Xcalibur Smart Mapping to use advanced geospatial solutions for mapping critical minerals and lowering exploration risk. The country is also working with US-based startup KoBold Metals to apply AI-driven techniques at the Mingomba Lithium Mine.

Zambia, Ghana, Botswana, and Burundi

The trend extends beyond DRC. KoBold Metals is also applying AI at Zambia’s Mingomba Copper Project to identify high-grade deposits, backing the government’s push to lift annual copper output to three million tonnes by 2031. Burundi has partnered with KoBold and Lifezone Metals to digitise its geological database and assess the 140-million-tonne Musongati Nickel Project.

In Ghana, the Ghana Gold Board and the Ghana Geological Survey Authority are using AI-assisted mineral prospectivity modelling across the Funsi, Atuna, and Bensere East concessions, aligning with a national drive to expand gold reserves and production.

Botswana is using the same tool-set to diversify away from diamonds. Botswana Minerals has identified eight new copper deposits through AI-powered exploration, accelerating the country’s move into critical minerals.

The capital pitch

The underlying economic pitch is large. Organisers estimate Africa sits on $8.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources, and point to the continent’s 30 per cent share of global critical minerals at a moment when demand is projected to triple by 2030. AI’s role, AMW’s 2026 programming suggests, is to compress exploration cycles, reduce the cost of de-risking ground, and tighten operational efficiency once mines are producing.

Read more at: Tech Africa

#DRC – #Kinshasa on verge of winning its bet on the #Cobalt market

Posted on by Leave a comment
Illustration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted on a map of Africa, featuring a mining scene with a mineral processing plant and various minerals like cobalt, copper, coltan, and lithium. The country's flag is prominently displayed.

Fully focused on its goal of regulating the precious mineral sector, Félix Tshisekedi’s presidency expects significant fiscal returns this year. The authorities, however, have had to contend with pressure from Chinese operators eager to obtain larger quotas, as well as the reluctance of certain administrations.

Read more at: https://www.africaintelligence.com/central-africa/2026/04/07/kinshasa-on-verge-of-winning-its-bet-on-the-cobalt-market,110698845-eve

Under the presidency of Félix Tshisekedi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is aggressively reshaping its role in the global mineral market, specifically targeting the cobalt and gold sectors to maximize state revenue and economic sovereignty. 

Fiscal Returns and Strategic Control 

For 2026, the Congolese Treasury has set ambitious financial targets tied to its newfound status as a market “price maker”. 

  • Projected Revenue: The government expects roughly $2.3 billion in public revenue this year from cobalt alone.
  • Market Influence: By implementing a strict quota system (capped at 96,600 tonnes for 2026), Kinshasa successfully pushed prices from $21,000 in early 2025 to over $56,000 as of April 2026.
  • Alternative Scenario: Authorities estimate that without these regulatory interventions, revenues would have been limited to approximately $617 million. 

Friction with Chinese Operators

The administration is navigating complex relationships with Chinese mining companies, which currently dominate much of the DRC’s mineral extraction. 

  • Quota Resistance: Major Chinese firms, notably CMOC Group, have vocally opposed the 2026 quotas, arguing they are too restrictive compared to their production capacity.
  • Processing Ultimatum: The Ministry of Mines is leveraging these quotas to force Chinese operators into local processing agreements, aiming to shift the country away from being a mere raw material exporter.
  • Audit of Legacy Deals: In March 2026, the government launched a comprehensive technical and financial audit of the Sicomines “infrastructure-for-minerals” deal to ensure compliance and fair returns. 

Administrative and Geopolitical Hurdles

Domestic and international pressures continue to complicate the regulatory rollout:

  • Bureaucratic Reluctance: Delays in implementing new export procedures at the end of 2025 caused bottlenecks at key transit points like the Kasumbalesa border post, forcing the government to refine its administrative arrangements.
  • The “U.S. Pivot”: Under a strategic partnership signed in late 2025, the U.S. is pushing for access to critical minerals to counter Chinese dominance. This includes a 44-project shortlist handed to Washington in February 2026, creating additional geopolitical friction.
  • New Enforcement Measures: To counter administrative weakness, the state recently partnered with Quantum to establish a “tax brigade” for better oversight of mining operators. 

Challenges in #US – #Congo Mineral Agreements Amid Conflict

Posted on by Leave a comment
An abstract illustration depicting a mining scene focused on cobalt and copper extraction, featuring trucks and workers amidst piles of mined minerals, with flags of different countries visible and an aerial view in the background.

The U.S. has made progress in its push to prise Congo’s strategic minerals from China’s orbit, but conflict, contested licences and compliance demands are still slowing Washington’s advance into a region its rival dominates, diplomats and ​industry officials said.

Democratic Republic of Congo, which hosts the world’s largest cobalt supply and rich copper and lithium reserves, is central to the U.S. push to cut the West’s reliance ‌on China for rare minerals.

One ​U.S. diplomat said Kinshasa is deliberately slowing new deals to push Washington to increase pressure on M23 before any further steps are taken. Reuters could not ⁠independently verify the claim.

The Congolese government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On background, a senior government official described the allegations as “speculation”.

“The agreement has its own rhythm: a period for receiving offers, a ​period for negotiation,” the official said. Rwanda, which denies backing M23, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. State Department told Reuters the U.S. remains “deeply concerned” by violence in eastern Congo and is pushing ​regional partners to reinforce the ceasefire, urging Rwanda to end M23 support and withdraw in line with December’s peace deal.

The department said Washington hopes to see swift progress on key deals, including a proposal for Glencore to sell copper and cobalt assets to the U.S.-backed Orion consortium, U.S.-based Virtus Minerals’ bid for Congo-focused Chemaf, and the extension of the Lobito Corridor railway line.

Kinshasa’s inclusion on the shortlist of the Rubaya mine, which supplies about 15% of global coltan and sits under M23/AFC control, signals Congo wants stronger ​U.S. action on M23, said Joshua Walker of NYU’s Congo Research Group.

Investment is unlikely while the group holds territory, he said.

U.S. influence on security has already been seen at some mines. Alphamin Resources, opens new tab restarted its Bisie ​tin mine only after U.S. diplomatic pressure helped ease fighting in territory around the site, though it warns that renewed clashes could threaten access and operations.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-struggling-de-risk-congos-war-zone-minerals-even-after-pact-sources-say-2026-03-02/

A millennial is building #America’s first #Nickel-#Cobalt refinery

Posted on by Leave a comment

America had no nickel-cobalt refineries of its own.

The promise of the largesse doled out by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Joe Biden’s signature bill to catalyse America’s clean-energy transition. Subsidies for electric cars attracted $110bn in investments in green manufacturing and battery-making within a year of the IRA’s passage in 2022. But as firms boosted production it became clear that China’s grip on the world’s mineral mines and refineries could prove perilous for its political foes. If China decides not to export refined metals tomorrow, as it has threatened to do, dozens of brand-new American gigafactories could soon sit idle.

Even with subsidies, mining and refining in America are not for the faint of heart. Regulations can make both activities uncompetitive. But the maths flipped in refiners’ favour in December 2023 when the tax agencies charged with implementing the IRA made it more protectionist. Their new rules clarified that companies selling electric cars made with materials processed by firms with at least 25% Chinese ownership are ineligible for subsidies. For makers of batteries and cars this was bad news—their inputs got pricier overnight.

Read more at: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/02/29/a-millennial-is-building-americas-first-nickel-cobalt-refinery

#Congo’s #Gecamines to push for #Copper, #Cobalt trading share

Posted on by Leave a comment

Congo’s state mining group Gecamines said it will push to secure the rights to buy copper and cobalt at mines it has holdings in, as it attempts to build its own stocks and trade the metals.

To do so, Gecamines needs to amend some terms of its joint venture agreements in Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the world’s top supplier of battery-grade cobalt and the third largest copper producer after Peru and Chile.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/congos-gecamines-push-copper-cobalt-trading-share-2023-12-01/