• DR Congo launched validation talks on a national strategy for critical minerals on January 7 in Lubumbashi.
• The draft prioritizes local processing, ESG standards, clean energy use, and improved sector governance.
• Experts urge a coherent framework to turn mineral wealth into inclusive, sustainable development.

The Democratic Republic of Congo moved closer to validating its national strategy for critical minerals and metals as the Ministry of Mines launched validation sessions on January 7, 2026, in Lubumbashi, in the Haut-Katanga province.

The sessions, scheduled to conclude on January 8, will review policy directions on promoting local processing, developing sustainable industrialization, complying with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, mobilizing clean energy, strengthening human and technological capacities, improving sector governance, and sharing benefits with local communities.

The Ministry of Mines said Congolese and African experts drafted the strategy with support from Southern Africa Resources Watch (SARW), which has acted as a technical and financial partner to the Congolese mining sector for nearly two decades.

The document aims to provide the country with a consensual and operational framework focused on economic diversification, industrialization, job creation and enhanced value addition from national mineral resources.

The ministry added that this step forms part of a broader process to design a roadmap to reposition DR Congo as a major industrial player in the global value chain for critical minerals and metals, which underpin the energy transition and green industrialization.

In a report published on March 20, the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) said DR Congo needs a coherent strategic framework to ensure that the energy transition delivers tangible benefits to the population. The report, titled “The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Energy Transition Challenge: Turning Mineral Wealth into a Lever for Sustainable Development,” highlighted structural weaknesses.

NRGI identified gaps in inter-institutional coordination, conflicts of interest, politicization of public action and weak stakeholder inclusion as key factors that have hindered the emergence of a harmonized framework between the mining and energy sectors.

Meanwhile, DR Congo continues to face challenges in locally processing its mineral resources. According to a report by the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) network, the country holds significant potential to capture greater value added as global demand for strategic minerals accelerates amid the transition toward low-carbon economies.

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum