Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo and U.S. company KoBold Metals are at odds over access to colonial-era geological records held at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (AfricaMuseum) in Tervuren. Belgian authorities are refusing to allow KoBold to digitize the archival collection under the terms agreed in Kinshasa, according to several Belgian media reports. The archives are considered strategically significant for mineral exploration.

A deal signed between the DRC and KoBold in Kinshasa on July 17, 2025, explicitly aims to provide free public access to historical geoscientific data via the National Geological Service of Congo (SGNC). The agreement also stipulated that KoBold would deploy a team to the DRC's geological archives held at the Royal Museum for Central Africa to begin digitizing documents before July 31, 2025.

Seven months later, that digitization has yet to begin. Belgian authorities have blocked KoBold's team from accessing the archives, arguing that federal public archives cannot be entrusted to a foreign private company that has no direct contractual relationship with the Belgian state. "We cannot delegate full responsibility for managing our archives to a private company," outside the Belgian and European legal framework, AfricaMuseum Director Bart Ouvry said.

Belgium has also pointed to an existing digitization program already underway, funded by the European Union. The project provides for gradual digitization of the archives over several years, with copies to be transferred in stages to Congolese authorities. Museum officials said the program would span four to five years, with completion expected around 2031. The data would then be made accessible under a framework agreed between the relevant institutions, including the SGNC.

Control of geological data

The Tervuren archives are described as a vast collection of maps, reports and technical surveys covering nearly 500 linear meters of documents. For KoBold, which specializes in artificial intelligence-assisted exploration, the historical data represents essential raw material for the "large-scale mineral exploration" program outlined in its agreement with the DRC. Rapid access to the historical records would reduce geological risk and help guide investment decisions.

The agreement ties this effort to a broader strategy of American exploration and investment in the DRC. It cites a desire to "attract more investment from the American private sector, particularly in the critical minerals sector," and refers to "secure supply chains to the United States" in the context of regional initiatives such as the Lobito Corridor. That approach was reinforced by a strategic partnership concluded between Kinshasa and Washington last December.

Belgium has officially cited the public status of the archives and the absence of a direct contractual framework with the Belgian state. By promoting the existing European program and declining to allow KoBold direct access, Belgium has effectively retained control over the pace and conditions under which data described as strategically significant is made available.

In a context of intensifying international competition over critical minerals, the dispute over the colonial archives goes beyond a straightforward administrative matter. It underscores a broader shift: control of geological data has become central to the power dynamics surrounding the DRC's critical resources.

Pierre Mukoko & Boaz Kabeya