Democratic Republic of Congo’s cobalt exports have yet to resume, even after the government published an inter-ministerial circular on Dec. 2 setting out the export procedures.
Officials had presented the document as the last administrative step needed to restart shipments after a nearly nine-month embargo ended on Oct. 15. But a quota system and new export requirements are worrying producers, according to a letter sent on Dec. 4 to Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba by the Mines Chamber of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC).
The industry group said its members face “serious difficulties applying the quotas assigned to them” and argued that the Dec. 2 circular “does not address exporters’ concerns.”
In its letter, the chamber flagged several unresolved issues in the rules adopted by the Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral Substances Markets (Arecoms), the DRC’s strategic minerals regulator.
The first relates to a strategic quota set at 9,600 tons for 2026, plus any unused allocations from mining companies. Although framed as a measure designed to assert national control and fund state projects, the criteria for distributing this quota remain unclear.
A second issue is a rule requiring royalties to be paid upfront before any shipment. The chamber says this contradicts the DRC’s Mining Code, its implementing regulations and the ordinance governing non-tax revenue.
Third, some companies were left off the list of quota beneficiaries despite appearing in previous registries. Producers say the criteria used, including a minimum threshold of 100 tons, deposit status and operational history, offer no avenue for appeal.
A fourth concern is the lack of an official methodology for defining “cobalt metal content,” which is used to calculate quotas. Without harmonized standards, companies warn of discrepancies between laboratory results and potential disputes.
Lastly, new export requirements include a quota verification certificate, supervised sampling by various agencies, an Arecoms certificate and cross analyses. Companies say the revised system places Arecoms at the center of export controls and creates overlaps with financial and technical agencies. The successive checks, they warn, risk delaying shipments and increasing the likelihood of blockages.
“The rules need to be clarified quickly to give companies legal certainty, keep exports moving and maintain the sector’s appeal to investors,” the chamber wrote. The letter was signed by its president Kassongo Bin Nassor and FEC Managing Director Thierry Ngoy Kasumba.
The chamber said it has repeatedly sought a meeting with Arecoms officials without success. It has now asked Minister Watum to convene a working session under a consultation mechanism created in October to structure institutional dialogue.
The DRC is the world’s top cobalt producer, supplying more than 74 percent of global output in 2024. Since the country imposed the export embargo in February, cobalt prices have surged about 110 percent, reaching 52,220 dollars per ton on Monday evening on the London Metal Exchange.
Pierre Mukoko
