At a cabinet meeting on August 29, 2025, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa announced the creation of an inter-ministerial commission to assess the sector and propose a "thorough reform" to make it "more competitive and bring it up to international standards."

This decision marks an abrupt change in direction. At a previous cabinet meeting on April 11, the government had already adopted a bill to amend the country’s insurance code. At that time, the next step was to submit the text for parliamentary review.

No official explanation has been given for the change of course. The most recent cabinet meeting minutes simply outlined three new pillars for the reform: expanding insurance coverage to all sectors of the national economy; strengthening local reinsurance capacity to limit capital flight; and strategically using the sector’s resources to finance the economy. The government aims to transform the sector into a "strategic pillar of economic development."

The previously adopted bill had already aimed to meet these goals. The minutes from the April meeting stated that the text corrected technical and material errors and introduced new measures to help the sector "fully play its role" in the economy and align with international norms. These included integrating micro-insurance to promote financial inclusion, mandating a minimum subscription by insurance companies in government securities, adopting digital technologies, diversifying premium payment methods, strengthening policyholder rights, and creating a General Directorate of Insurance to oversee mandatory insurance and manage guarantee funds.

The DRC's insurance sector was liberalized in 2015, but effective implementation began only in 2019. Since then, the market has expanded significantly, with revenue growing from $70 million in 2019 to over $350 million in 2024.

Despite this growth, several challenges persist, including low compliance with mandatory insurance, premium flight, a lack of insurance literacy among the population, and a general distrust of insurance companies.

Pierre Mukoko & Boaz Kabeya

• U.S. firms push for DRC-Rwanda critical minerals agreement to foster economic growth and stability.

• Roundtable discussions focused on investments and security, part of a regional integration framework.

• The initiative aims to counter Chinese influence and increase U.S. private sector engagement in the region.

American business leaders are pressing for closer cooperation between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on critical minerals, seeking to turn the region’s vast resources into engines of growth rather than sources of conflict.

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), a U.S. nonprofit that includes Fortune 500 executives on its board, hosted a roundtable in Washington on Aug. 28 with delegations from both countries. Talks focused on investment opportunities in critical minerals and regional security, SAFE said.

The meeting builds on a peace deal signed in June between Kinshasa and Kigali, which paved the way for a Regional Economic Integration Framework aimed at boosting trade and investment in supply chains for cobalt, lithium, and other minerals. A preliminary agreement was signed on Aug. 1, with a full deal expected by Sept. 27.

SAFE, which works closely with the U.S. State Department, said the framework could increase American private-sector investment while reducing reliance on conflict minerals and limiting China’s dominance in the sector.

At the same time, Kinshasa and Washington are negotiating a bilateral pact on strategic minerals. Several U.S. companies are already active in the DRC, including KoBold Metals in exploration and Starlink in satellite internet. Other Fortune 500 firms are also weighing entry into Congo’s resource sector.

This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

In a report published on August 28, 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights a financing arrangement by Rawbank in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a model for scaling the extraction of critical minerals for the energy transition while meeting global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk standards.

“Rawbank played a leading role in financing the Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the DRC by helping arrange a $400 million syndicated loan with partners Absa, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), and First Bank DRC. The agreement complied with international standards while integrating ESG and local-content requirements, including the repatriation of 60% of revenues to the DRC,” the report states. The document was prepared in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa and McKinsey & Company.

By executing this transaction—the first of its kind in this structuring—Rawbank reinforced its position as the leading bank in the DRC. “This agreement sets a precedent for other African financial institutions, which can in the future arrange similarly complex syndicated loans, thereby increasing the availability of financing for the mining sector,” the report notes.

In practical terms, the bank ensured that the financing aligned with the ESG standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), as well as the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), recognized sustainable mining practices, and Congolese legislation.

On local content, the WEF report also underscores that Rawbank proactively integrated Congolese suppliers—such as Pacific Logistics—into the project. This approach supported compliance with Article 108 of the DRC Mining Code, which requires domestic processing of minerals, Congolese shareholding in processing companies, and a limitation of subcontracting to local firms.

Ultimately, the financing contributed to Kamoa Copper’s objective of reaching an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons of copper. Kamoa Copper is the local subsidiary of a holding majority-owned by Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines and China’s Zijin Mining.

The WEF cautions, however, that financing the sustainable development of critical minerals in Southern Africa still faces significant hurdles, including high costs, geopolitical risks, stringent regulatory demands, and the need to embed ESG practices fully. The institution advocates for a cohesive strategy to harmonize regulations, bolster investor confidence, and expedite the development of local value chains in the production of transition minerals.

Georges Auréole Bamba

KoBold Metals, a U.S. company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, has been granted seven new mining exploration permits in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), international news reports said on August 27, 2025. According to data from the Mining Cadastre (CAMI), four of the permits are located in the Manono territory of Tanganyika province, with three others in Malemba Nkulu in Haut-Lomami province.

The move follows a preliminary agreement signed in July that allows KoBold to launch a large-scale exploration program across a 1,600 km² area. In accordance with the Congolese mining code, the exploration permits are valid for five years and grant KoBold the exclusive right to carry out work on the designated minerals, with work required to begin within one year.

The permits cover a dozen minerals, including lithium, coltan, and rare earths. However, an unnamed company official told Reuters that exploration efforts will focus on lithium. A portion of the Manono site is considered to hold one of the world's largest lithium deposits, though it remains at the center of a legal dispute.

The Australian company AVZ Minerals claims the Congolese government illegally terminated its rights to a permit covering a section of the site, which it initially held in partnership with the state-owned company Cominière. AVZ has initiated international arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The process was frozen for a time in anticipation of an amicable settlement but resumed in June.

Under the preliminary agreement signed in July, KoBold is responsible for resolving the dispute. In that effort, KoBold and AVZ announced a framework agreement on May 6 for AVZ to sell its business interests in the Manono deposit at a "fair value." AVZ confirmed on July 21 that discussions remain ongoing.

Meanwhile, another part of the deposit is already under the control of China's Zijin Mining Group, which holds an exploitation permit for the northeast zone. According to its 2024 annual report, preliminary surveys identified 2.62 million tons of lithium oxide at an average grade of 1.5%, which is equivalent to approximately 6.47 million tons of lithium carbonate. Zijin plans to begin production in the first quarter of 2026.

The granting of permits to KoBold is part of a strategic alignment between Kinshasa and Washington. The Congolese and U.S. governments have engaged in discussions to link mining concessions with security support, as Washington seeks to reduce its industries' dependence on China's dominance of strategic mineral supply chains. Lithium, which is essential for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries, is central to these efforts.

Timothée Manoke (Intern)