News (733)
Asia Minerals Limited (AML) will start exploring for a manganese mine in Luozi, Kongo Central province, on May 21, 2025. The Minister of Mines presented the project during the May 9 Council of Ministers. AML is Japanese.
According to the Council’s minutes, the initiative falls under the Democratic Republic of Congo’s strategy to diversify the mining sector by broadening partnerships, expanding the range of ores mined, extending operational areas, and increasing the production of finished or semi-finished products. If exploration is successful, AML seeks to produce up to two million tonnes of manganese at the discovered asset.
The Minister of Mines requested government support to facilitate administrative procedures, provide institutional backing, and encourage the technical partnerships necessary for the project’s success. He highlighted that the Luozi project could serve as a lever for territorial, sectoral, and economic transformation, aligning with the DR Congo’s new vision for mining governance.
Founded in 1993 in Hong Kong, AML is an international company specializing in the entire manganese value chain, including mining, transformation into ferroalloys, and the production of metals and chemicals. The company has subsidiaries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and North America.
AML also holds a majority stake in a ferroalloy smelter in Malaysia with an annual capacity of 220,000 tonnes, and a manganese mine in South Africa capable of producing two million tonnes per year.
This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Texaf, the only listed company operating exclusively in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will distribute a net dividend of 1.23 euros per share for the 2024 financial year, as ratified at the Annual General Meeting on May 13, 2025. This dividend is 7% higher than the amount paid in 2024 for the previous year.
Last year, the firm’s net income dropped 35.6% year-on-year, amidst intensified conflicts in North and South Kivu provinces–a risky context, according to many investors. For its part, Texaf attributes the drop to increased depreciation and amortization due to accounting adjustments.
However, operating indicators show positive momentum. Operating value added (the gross difference between revenues and operating expenses) reached €11.1 million, up 12% compared to 2023. That year, Texaf’s income had reached €6 million.
The outlook for 2025 is encouraging. At the end of the first quarter, rental income- Texaf’s core business, focused on residential and office property rentals in Kinshasa-stood at 7.7 million euros, a 29% year-on-year increase.
“This increase is largely explained by the marketing of the new Promenade des Artistes neighborhood, comprising 94 apartments, as well as the opening of phase III of Silikin Village, offering an additional 6,000 m² of coworking space and private offices,” the company stated.
This trend indicates that recent investments are beginning to pay off. Without these new assets, rental income growth would have been just 6% in Q1 2025.
This article was initially published in French by Georges Auréole Bamba
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Over the past year, oil suppliers active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recorded losses and shortfalls of $31.5 million, down from $288.6 million in 2023 (-89%). Daniel Mukoko Samba, Minister of the National Economy, disclosed the figures on May 6, 2025. This gap is bridged by subsidies.
Without providing specific figures, Calixte Ahokpossi, mission chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), confirmed Samba’s report: “We found that losses and revenue shortfalls have decreased significantly.” Earlier this month, the IMF began the first review of its new program with the DRC.
This sharp decline contrasts with the IMF’s January 2025 report, which estimated deficits of $77 million for the first half of 2024-more than double the annual total now announced by Daniel Mukoko Samba. According to the latest certified figures, shortfalls amounted to $16 million in the first half and $15.52 million in the second half of 2024.
While Congolese authorities have not explained this discrepancy yet, the IMF report notes that the government has pledged “to strengthen transparency in the calculation and certification of losses and shortfalls due to oil companies, by improving the operational capacities of the Strategic Products Price Regulation Committee, set up in February 2023, and by involving all the ministries concerned”. This suggests earlier assessments may have been inaccurate.
Planned improvements include revising methods for calculating revenue losses, rigorously monitoring key parameters influencing petroleum product pricing, and ending the cumulative remuneration of oil logistics companies in the tariff structure by eliminating the mutualization of their operating costs.
Roadmap
These measures are part of a roadmap adopted in November 2023, following a May 2023 audit on the price structure and an IMF technical assistance mission in July 2023. In September 2024, the government launched molecular tagging in the eastern zone to prevent subsidized fuel diversion to ineligible uses. The decision to exclude the mining sector from diesel subsidies in the southern zone also aligns with this reform effort.
The IMF’s July 2024 report acknowledged that the roadmap helped “contain the accumulation of liabilities to oil companies, which were reduced from $545 million to $122 million in 2023.” The institution encourages continued efforts to reduce revenue shortfalls. However, subsidies could rise again in 2025 due to a 13% drop in pump prices, which has increased domestic consumption of finished petroleum products to nearly 50%.
This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko and Boaz Kabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
On May 8, 2025, the Ministry of Transport, Communication Routes and Opening-up issued an official letter listing 240 unapproved river and lake ports slated for immediate closure. The document, referenced N° VPM/MTVCD/CAB/563/2025 and signed by Deputy Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba, was addressed to the Ministry of the Interior, Security, Decentralization, and Customary Affairs.
The measure aligns with resolutions from the 46ᵉ and 52ᵉ meetings of the Council of Ministers held on August 28 and October 9, 2020, respectively, focusing on regulating the river sector. It also follows Ministerial Letter No. VPM/MTVCD/CAB/458/2024 dated October 15, 2024, concerning the closure of so-called "illegal" ports.
The listed sites span multiple provinces, with the document specifying the names, locations, and in some cases, the owners of the affected infrastructures.
At the 17ᵉ ordinary Council of Ministers meeting on October 11, 2024, President Félix Tshisekedi instructed the government to enhance safety in river and lake navigation after a shipwreck on Lake Kivu. He emphasized combating clandestine ports, supervising boat construction, and strengthening regular technical monitoring by Ministry of Transport experts.
Following this directive, the Ministry had already initiated an operation to close unauthorized ports in response to a series of incidents on the waterways.
Boaz Kabeya (intern)
Between February and March 2025, the African Development Bank (AfDB) issued general procurement notices for two major agricultural projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the $311.6 million Projet d'appui au développement des chaînes de valeur (PADCV) and the $130.5 million Projet d'appui à la gouvernance et au développement des compétences (PAGDC). Together, these projects open up $442.1 million in public contracts covering works execution, goods acquisition, and consultancy services.
Tender documents are expected from March 2025, though detailed procurement timelines remain unclear. AfDB credits totaling $377.9 million fund the projects, with the balance provided by the Congolese government and stakeholders, and financing active through 2029. The overarching goal is to reduce food imports by 60% over five years, currently valued at around $3 billion annually.
PADCV and PAGDC form part of the Agricultural Transformation Program (PTA), a flagship $6.6 billion, ten-year (2023–2032) initiative by the Congolese government to modernize agriculture by boosting productivity, linking rural areas to markets, strengthening youth and women’s skills, and improving sector governance.
The PTA is being rolled out in three phases. The first phase, spanning three years and costing $2.3 billion, targets nine provinces-Kongo Central, Kwango, Maï-Ndombe, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Sud-Ubangi, and Nord-Ubangi-selected for their agricultural potential and capacity to become production hubs.
On May 8, 2025, at the 42nd edition of Macfrut-the international fruit and vegetable trade fair in Rimini, Italy-the DRC officially launched the PTA’s operational phase and presented the PADCV and PAGDC procurement notices. A press release highlighted that “Italian companies, recognized for their technological lead in this field, are therefore called upon to play a major role.”
This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), state-owned Lignes Maritimes Congolaises (LMC) is about to add two vessels to its fleet, according to its Board Chairman Lambert Mende Omalanga. The executive announced the move on May 6 in Matadi, after meeting with Kongo Central Governor Grâce Bilolo.
“I have come to announce to the governor of Kongo Central province, Grâce Bilolo, that we are about to acquire two floating units to improve working conditions for our provincial management,” Omalanga said.
Mende, a former Communications Minister, emphasized that the two ships have been ordered from shipyards in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as part of LMC’s five-year recovery plan (2023–2027). Under the latter, the firm should buy five new vessels and second-hand multipurpose ships, using state funds.
The five-year plan aims to bolster the state-owned company’s fleet and increase its share of Congolese foreign trade shipping from 0.3% in 2021 to 2% by 2027. This would represent a growth in transported volume from 45,000 tonnes to 395,195 tonnes.
To support this expansion, LMC also plans to develop dry ports in Matadi, Boma, Lufu, and Kinshasa, reinforce storage facilities in Dar es Salaam, and build a dry port in Kolwezi (Lualaba). The company intends to acquire containers to optimize the logistics chain and improve trade flow.
LMC used to have 10 sea-going vessels, but its whole fleet was liquidated two decades ago. The public shipowner was created in 1974 to handle the international maritime transport of Congolese goods.
Lambert Mende also noted that the government has instructed LMC to collect shipping royalties, a measure intended to compensate the company for past losses.
This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
The mobile Internet market in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) generated $970.2 million in revenue in 2024. The figure, revealed by the country’s telecom regulator, the ARPTC, accounted for 46.4% of the sector’s total sales, which reached $2.09 billion.
Mobile Internet’s contribution to operators’ revenues rose from 29% in 2022 to 27.3% in 2023 and 46.4% in 2024. Between 2023 and 2024, the revenues from the Mobile Internet segment jumped 30.3%, while the whole mobile sector recorded an 8.7% growth in revenues.
This growth is driven more by a surge in data consumption than by subscriber growth. Over one year, the number of subscribers rose by 10% to nearly 33 million, while the volume of data consumed soared by 54% to a record 1,083 billion gigabytes. For comparison, data consumption in 2024 was 2.5 times higher than in 2022 (around 486 billion gigabytes).
Kinshasa and Haut-Katanga remain the main hubs for subscriptions, but the two Kivus (North and South) are emerging as markets to watch, with 5.8 million subscribers by the end of 2024, making the region second only to Kinshasa.
Market shares among operators vary. Vodacom RDC leads in active subscribers (over 90 days) with a 37.78% share, followed by Orange (29.97%), Airtel (29.33%), and Africell (2.92%). However, Airtel dominates Internet revenues, bringing in $365.5 million (37.7%), ahead of Orange (31.5%), Vodacom (27%), and Africell (3.8%). Airtel has held this leading position since 2021.
The DRC’s mobile Internet market still has significant growth potential. The GSMA forecasts 15 million additional subscribers by 2030, underscoring the sector’s role as a key growth driver for telecom operators and justifying recent efforts to expand coverage and enhance competitiveness
This article was initially published in French by Georges Auréole Bamba
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
The Kibali mine in Haut-Uélé province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), produced 141,000 ounces (4,384.6 kg) of gold in the first quarter of 2025, according to Barrick Mining’s quarterly report published on May 7. The output dropped 16% year-on-year and 20.3% compared to Q4 2024.
Barrick expects an output of 688,000–755,000 ounces this year. However, first-quarter results fall short of the quarterly average needed to meet this goal, estimated at 172,000 to 188,750 ounces. The company points to "higher grades for later in the year, mainly thanks to underground mining," but does not specify if this will be enough to meet annual targets.
In 2024, due to lower gold grades, Kibali delivered 688,000 ounces, 10% less than in 2023. Despite the decline, the mine’s contribution to Barrick’s sales rose by 30% to $316 million. Factoring in Barrick’s 45% stake, Kibali’s total sales are estimated at $702.2 million.
This revenue boost is attributed to the ongoing surge in gold prices. On April 22, the spot price of gold surpassed $3,500 an ounce for the first time, driven by Sino-American trade tensions and disputes between President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve. JP Morgan, in a note published at the end of April, projected that gold prices could exceed $4,000 an ounce by 2026.
This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Since January, tantalite prices have jumped 25%. According to Reuters, the ore currently trades between $100 and $105 per pound on the European spot market, the highest level seen since April 2023.
In February, data provider Argus had already revised its price estimates upward to $80–$88 per pound, up 8% from the previous range of $75 to $81.
The price rally was mainly spurred by lower supplies from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the DRC was the world’s leading tantalum producer in 2023, holding more than 41% of the global market. However, output remains volatile due to ongoing instability in several mining regions. This has only worsened since January 2025 with the advance of M23 rebels into key producer towns.
The conflict-induced instability disrupted supply chains, especially as buyers increasingly demand traceable and conflict-free material. “The conflict affecting eastern DRC makes it difficult to obtain legitimate labeled tantalite. [...] You can place an order for material in a province not affected by the conflict, and the rebels take control of the area within two weeks of signing an agreement,” an anonymous trader told Reuters.
Looking ahead, the situation remains uncertain. Stabilizing key production zones could ease supply pressures, but much will depend on the outcome of peace negotiations between Kinshasa, the M23 rebels, and Rwanda, the rebellion’s main supporter.
This article was initially published in French by Aurel Sèdjro Houenou (Ecofin Agency)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Zambia’s power watchdog greenlit the Kalumbila-Kolwezi Interconnection Project (KKIP) on May 6. The project will see the design, financing, construction, and operation of a 330 kV high-voltage line stretching roughly 190 km to connect Zambia with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Backed by Enterprise Power DRC (Enpower), a private electricity trading company, the KKIP has been years in the making. While its approval by the Zambian regulator is laudable, it still needs to be approved by the Congolese power regulator, according to Enpower.
So far, feasibility studies, detailed design, and environmental and social impact assessments have all been completed and validated by authorities in both countries. Concession and implementation agreements are in place, signed by the Ministries of Energy in Zambia and the DRC.
The next hurdle is finalizing the project’s financing. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, was appointed lead arranger in November 2024, with financial close targeted for mid-2025. The total project cost is estimated at $250 million.
The KKIP aims to increase power transmission capacity between Zambia and the DRC, especially to supply the mining regions of Lualaba and north-western Zambia, where energy demand is rising alongside mining expansion. The only existing interconnection line is already saturated. Enpower reports it has signed a 350 MW supply contract with Zambia’s national utility, ZESCO, and has secured a permit to import electricity into the DRC.
This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
More...
The DR Congo government is looking for a firm to repair and modernize the Bumba-Aketi-Buta-Mungbere railway, stretching 870 km in the northeast part of the country. On May 2, 2025, Kinshasa launched an international tender to find a company.
The line, with a 0.60 m gauge and rails ranging from 18 to 33 kg/m, once anchored the region’s economy by moving agricultural and mining products, but has fallen into disrepair since the late 1990s.
The Ministry of Transport said contractors must have at least 10 years of major rail project experience and proven technical and financial strength. The project scope may include additional feasibility studies, upgrades to track, signaling, and telecoms, and the establishment of a sustainable operating model, such as a PPP, concession, or other institutional arrangement. The deadline for applications is June 30, 2025.
The project ultimately aims to open up Bas-Uélé and Haut-Uélé, strengthen inland rail connectivity, and lay the groundwork for sustainable transport in one of the DRC’s most isolated regions.
Reviving this line would unlock new opportunities for supply, marketing, and processing for local economic actors, crossing areas rich in forestry, agriculture, and mining-including gold in Watsa and Mungbere-and could improve links to the port of Mombasa via Uganda.
From 1924 to the late 1990s, this railway line structured the economy of the Uélé provinces, facilitating the evacuation of agricultural and mining products. Its gradual deterioration led to the collapse of Société des chemins de fer Uélé-Fleuve (SCFUF), formerly known as Vicicongo.
This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern) and Timothée Manoke (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
KoBold Metals, the U.S.-based mining company backed by heavyweight investors including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, is stepping up its campaign to secure rights to the Manono lithium deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a site widely seen as having “the potential to become a large-scale, long-life lithium mine.” According to a January 2024 estimate, Manono could hold 669 million tonnes of resources grading 1.61% lithium.
On May 6, 2025, KoBold and Australia’s AVZ Minerals issued a joint statement titled Developing Manono for Peace and Prosperity, signed by their respective CEOs, Kurt House and Nigel Ferguson. The companies announced they had “reached consensus on a commercial framework to enable the rapid development of the Manono deposit.”
The statement specifies: “This framework provides for AVZ to cede its commercial interests in the Manono lithium deposit to KoBold, at fair value.” The document further claims this agreement would allow KoBold to “quickly” mobilize more than a billion dollars “to bring Manono’s lithium to Western markets.”
But the Congolese government maintains that AVZ no longer has any rights to Manono, arguing those rights were lost when state-owned Cominière terminated its partnership with AVZ in 2022. AVZ is contesting the move before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, where it has already secured an order for Cominière to pay €39.1 million in penalties for non-compliance with injunctions. However, the tribunal has yet to rule on the core ownership issue.
KoBold’s January offer proposes to resolve the dispute by granting “appropriate compensation” to AVZ in exchange for relinquishing its claims on Manono. The company says it is prepared to develop the southern part of the deposit, while the northern section would remain under the control of the Chinese group Zijin Mining.
Manono Lithium SAS-a joint venture 61% owned by Zijin (via Jinxiang Lithium) and 39% by Cominière-was granted an operating permit in September 2024 for part of the deposit. The company plans to begin lithium production in the first quarter of 2026.
An offer for “peace and prosperity”
So far, Congolese authorities have not commented publicly on KoBold’s offer. The May 6 joint statement suggests no favorable response yet. “AVZ has undertaken to propose to the Congolese government a temporary suspension of the ICSID arbitration proceedings to facilitate discussions,” the document states.
KoBold and AVZ may be trying to pressure Kinshasa by leveraging the current warming of US-DRC relations, considering the May 6 statement, which reads: “AVZ and KoBold are cooperating with all stakeholders, including the US government, the DRC government, and AVZ’s current development partner.”
AVZ and KoBold frame their proposal as a contribution to “peace and prosperity,” promising “thousands of well-paying jobs for the Congolese, over several decades.”
Kinshasa recently offered the Trump administration a mining agreement in exchange for its support toward resolving the ongoing conflict in Eastern DRC. Since then, the issue has been the subject of bilateral discussions, and Washington is actively involved in the resolution process.
“A lasting peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will open the door to greater U.S. and Western citizen investment, which will create an ecosystem conducive to responsible and reliable supply chains for things like critical minerals,” declared US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on April 25, 2025, in Washington, at the signing of the “declaration of principles” for a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, the main supporter of the M23 rebellion.
This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Airtel Africa has signed a landmark agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed satellite internet to its customers across the continent, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Starlink just received its operating license. Airtel Africa announced the partnership via a May 5, 2025, statement.
According to Airtel DRC, the partnership aims to“connect even the most remote regions with fast, reliable, and affordable internet”by using Starlink’s network to link Airtel’s base transceiver stations (BTS)in hard-to-reach areas to its central telecom infrastructure. This move is expected to slash equipment costs compared to current VSAT technology.
"Thus, this agreement will enable Airtel to offer a higher-quality service with greater capacity than 3G or even 4G while reducing deployment costs, which should accelerate its territory coverage," our source concludes.
For Airtel DRC, this deal is a strategic play in the race for 15 million new mobile internet subscribers expected in the country by 2030, as projected by the GSMA. It also responds to recent moves by competitors Orange and Vodacom, who are expanding rural coverage through a joint venture for solar-powered mobile base stations.
Data from the Congolese telecom regulator shows that as of late 2024, Airtel had 9.66 million mobile internet subscribers in the DRC (29.33% market share), trailing Vodacom (37.78%) and Orange (29.97%), but leading in internet revenue with $365.5 million (37.7% share). The partnership gives SpaceX a chance to expand Starlink’s reach in markets previously limited by high service costs, with African packages ranging from $29 to $40 per month and equipment at $299.
Starlink’s official launch in the DRC is expected in May 2025, and its impact on Airtel’s subscriber growth and market position will be closely watched. Both companies tout the agreement as a major step toward digital inclusion, promising to transform connectivity for schools, health centers, businesses, and rural communities across Africa.
This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko and Ronsard Luabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Carousel Finance, with offices in London and Geneva, is gearing up to launch an investment fund dedicated to the “Kia Kinshasa Mona” (“Kinshasa revealed”) project, which aims to expand the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mandated by the project’s Strategic Oversight Committee (CSSPVK), Carousel is tasked with structuring the financing and mobilizing investors.
On April 18 and 20, 2025, Carousel Finance presented the fund to investors at DRC embassies in France and Belgium. “This fund is designed to finance the main components of the project by securing contracts and remuneration for technical operators and investors in several sectors,” explains Carousel Finance management. According to the same source, the fund will “provide clear risk allocation, efficient operational coordination and a sustainable capital commitment, aligned with the progressive development of the project.” All are “framed by international standards.”
Upcoming Economic Forum
The CSSPVK website, launched in January 2024, puts the total cost of the “Kia Kinshasa Mona” project at $50 billion, though it’s unclear if this matches the fund’s actual fundraising target, as no size has been specified yet.
Carousel Finance is clearly courting major players. In France, the investor meetings drew representatives from Africa Global Logistics, CMA CGM, KPMG, Accor, Nexans, Citi, Sunna Design, Dassault Systèmes, Eiffage, and King & Spalding. In Belgium, the lineup included the Port of Antwerp, IIDG, Besix, Deme, Siemens Belgium, Rawbank, as well as public agencies like Awex and Bio Invest
These sessions are paving the way for a major economic forum in London, date still to be announced. The goal: to “structure concrete commitments around the project,” says Marius Esposito, head of strategic partnerships at Carousel Finance. On April 29, 2025, Carousel’s chairman, Jafar Hilali, met with the DRC’s ambassador to the UK, Ndolamb Ngokwey, to discuss the event.
Planned Works
According to the CSSPVK, seven sub-projects have already been finalized and are scheduled to kick off by June 2025. These include the construction of an administrative and business city, as well as an industrial center entrusted to China State Construction Engineering, a firm chosen for its global expertise and track record in large-scale urban projects. An agreement for these works was signed at the Africa-China Forum in September 2024, and both contracts have been reviewed by the partnership regulatory agency. The total estimated cost for these infrastructures stands at $8 billion, according to Belgian newspaper L’Echo.
Another major project underway is a hospital complex, awarded to a consortium of Antwerp-based International Infrastructure Development Group (IIDG) and Morocco’s Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca (TGCC), with support from Bpifrance, and budgeted at $300 million.
Last March, two additional protocols were signed with Congolese companies: one with Entreprise Kipelo Maschind Multiservices (EKMM) for a 5-megawatt solar power plant and related infrastructure, and another with MJ Center to develop a river transport system connecting Kinshasa to the future city.
Thousands of new jobs
The "Kia Kinshasa Mona" project is a massive $50 billion initiative to create a modern extension of Kinshasa, spanning 43,000 hectares, or about 4.7% of the capital, according to a JICA 2019 study. The project’s developers claim the new city will accommodate up to 5 million people-significant, but still only a fraction of Kinshasa’s estimated 20 million residents, a population growing at 3% per year. They also said thousands of jobs will be created under the initiative.
For now, it is unclear if the project will be integrated into Kinshasa’s Transport Master Plan (PDTK)-critical for connecting the old and new cities.
This article was initially published in French by Georges Auréole Bamba
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho