Local communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were deprived of $198 million between 2018 and 2023. This shortfall resulted from underreporting, partial payment, or non-payment of the mandatory minimum allocation of 0.3% of turnover by mining companies. A report from the Court of Auditors revealed these findings, highlighting issues in the management of funds intended for community development projects in mining areas.
Published in June 2025, the audit specifically found discrepancies between revenues mining companies reported to the DOTS, the entities managing the allocation, and figures declared to the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI). This deliberate underreporting led to a $154.7 million deficit over the audited period.
Additionally, some companies made only partial payments, accumulating an outstanding balance of over $40.4 million. Others made no payments at all, creating an additional shortfall of $2.8 million.
Major companies implicated in the report include Kamoa Copper (Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining), Kamoto Copper Company (Glencore), Sicomines (Crec-Sinohydro-Zhejiang), and Tenke Fungurume Mining (CMOC).
The Court of Auditors recommends that the Supervisory Committee order the affected companies to regularize their payments or face sanctions, potentially including the suspension of operations for gross misconduct. However, the report expressed regret over the lack of action by successive Ministers of Mines. It also called for establishing a systematic verification mechanism for turnover figures between the DGI and the DOTS.
This article was written in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern),
Edited in English by Mouka Mezonlin
