News (799)
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana are developing a financing model for the construction of one-stop border posts. On Feb. 18, 2026, trade ministers from the five countries reviewed the project with officials from DP World and the secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) during a meeting in Dubai.
According to a statement from the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Trade, the initiative aims to cut waiting times and ease cross-border transit, two factors that directly affect logistics costs and the competitiveness of goods in the region. The one-stop border post model is based on coordinated controls and harmonized procedures, eliminating duplication between neighboring countries and speeding up trade flows.
The project prioritizes full digitization of procedures, with reduced manual intervention, improved traceability and faster data processing. The objective is to improve the predictability of transit times while reducing administrative bottlenecks and the costs faced by businesses.
The participation of DP World and the AfCFTA secretariat signals a shift toward implementation. Discussions moved beyond general commitments to focus on a structure compatible with public-private partnerships (PPPs). Under this model, a logistics operator would manage project engineering, including design, equipment, digital systems and logistics integration, while customs, immigration and security functions would remain under state authority.
The delegations agreed to adopt a financial model developed by a joint team of experts tasked with the assignment. They set a 15-day deadline to finalize the financing framework, project timeline and country-specific administrative procedures within the PPP framework.
The initiative forms part of the operational rollout of AfCFTA instruments and broader regional integration efforts in southern Africa. In that context, the DRC and Zambia signed an agreement in December 2025 to modernize and build border infrastructure. The deal includes the development of facilities at Kasumbalesa, Kambimba, Kipushi and Mokambo, as well as other entry points to be identified later by mutual agreement.
The two countries have yet to define the technical, financial and operational arrangements needed to make the one-stop border posts fully operational, in line with regional coordination requirements.
Ronsard Luabeya
Gécamines and Glencore have concluded two agreements within days of each other, significantly expanding the state-owned company's ability to sell copper and cobalt independently.
Both agreements concern Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), a mine 70% owned by the Anglo-Swiss commodities group and 30% by Gécamines.
The first agreement was signed on the sidelines of Mining Indaba, held Feb. 9-12 in Cape Town, and grants Gécamines the right to market its share of KCC's production in proportion to its stake. The second deal, announced Feb. 18, aims to increase output and extend the mine's operating life.
According to Glencore, the second agreement is expected to be finalized in the coming months after lease contracts are registered with the national mining cadastre. It will grant KCC access to additional land. That access is needed to “fully unlock KCC's potential by improving the efficiency of the mine, processing facilities and other key infrastructure,” said Mark Davis, Glencore's chief operating officer for Copper Africa.
The additional land should help KCC reach a long-term copper production target of around 300,000 tonnes per year, up from less than 200,000 tonnes currently, and extend the mine's life into the mid-2040s, Davis said. That trajectory would provide Gécamines with about 90,000 tonnes of copper per year, along with significant cobalt volumes.
Glencore said it is prioritizing copper production as it already has sufficient volumes to meet its 2026 and 2027 export quotas. The company does not expect that position to last beyond two years. “For 2028 and beyond, we assume similar price and payment levels to those of the fourth quarter of 2025, as well as the ability to market substantially all of our cobalt production,” the company said in its 2025 resources and reserves report. At KCC, cobalt output typically exceeds 30,000 tonnes per year and is expected to rise as the mine ramps up.
The two agreements deepen Gécamines’s push into mineral trading, a segment where it had until recently maintained only a limited presence. Prior to the Glencore deals, the state company concluded other agreements this year granting it the right to market its share of output from several mines, including Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), which is 80% controlled by China’s CMOC and 20% owned by Gécamines. TFM produces more than 400,000 tonnes of copper and around 25,000 tonnes of cobalt annually.
Gécamines is also in advanced talks with Ivanhoe Mines over a deal that would allow it to market up to 50% of output from the Kipushi zinc mine, despite holding only a 38% stake, compared with 62% for the Canadian company. Production at Kipushi is expected to reach between 240,000 and 290,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate in 2026, strengthening its position in the global market.
Pierre Mukoko
A Congolese human rights organization has detailed the sanctions imposed on Chinese company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM) over a pollution incident that affected Lubumbashi, capital of Haut-Katanga province, on Nov. 4, 2025. The Institut de recherche en droits humains (IRDH) disclosed the penalties in a press release dated Feb. 16, 2026, citing a letter from the mines minister dated Jan. 17, 2026.
According to the civil society group, CDM was fined $6.63 million and ordered to pay $6 million in collective compensation. The IRDH described the fine as low but acknowledged that it is consistent with the statutory penalty scale for the violations identified. The Institute said the collective compensation was “grossly inadequate given the scale of the damage.”
On Nov. 4, 2025, large volumes of water from CDM’s retention basin spilled into several areas around its facilities, including the Moïse market, which supplies much of northern Lubumbashi. A document published by the IRDH in January estimated that about 2.5 million cubic meters of acid leachate were released into the environment. Analyses cited in the same document found heavy metal concentrations exceeding international standards by several thousand times, with immediate impacts on local communities. The document recorded “504 documented health cases (skin, digestive and respiratory conditions), 258 damaged agricultural fields, 42 contaminated wells and 29 livestock losses.”
More Than $100 Million Demanded
The total amount sought by affected communities stands at $106.84 million, according to the IRDH. Of that sum, $100 million is claimed over exposure to endocrine disruptors, which have irreversible effects on the hormonal system and may pose serious risks across generations.
“This fund is intended to finance a medical reference center specializing in the diagnosis, treatment and long-term monitoring of mining-related illnesses. The center will also include research and epidemiological surveillance functions,” the IRDH said.
Following the incident, the mines minister suspended CDM’s operations at its Lubumbashi site for an initial period of three months. In a statement published Feb. 13, 2026, the Ministry of Mines said the resumption of activities at the CDM/Joli-Site facility is conditional on several measures, including the effective fulfillment of social obligations toward neighboring communities and the strengthening of monitoring, prevention and early-warning systems to prevent a recurrence.
The IRDH nonetheless said CDM does not appear to be fully meeting its compensation obligations. According to the Institute, the company has limited itself to donations or projects already included in its operating agreement, without clearly separating those contractual commitments from compensation measures linked to the environmental incident.
Timothée Manoke
The $50 million promised by President Félix Tshisekedi in December 2024 to relaunch Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA) is available. André Kabanda, the company’s director general, said on Feb. 14, 2026, that disbursement is now contingent on shareholders finalizing discussions on the company’s recapitalization.
MIBA is owned 80% by the Congolese state and 20% by ASA Resource. To maintain that ownership structure following the $50 million injection, the private partner would need to contribute $12.5 million in line with its stake. Ongoing talks are focused on agreeing those terms, among other issues.
A general shareholders’ meeting was held several weeks ago and is expected to be followed by a board meeting this week, Kabanda said. The state’s contribution has already been approved, he added.
A $70 Million Baseline Recovery Plan
The funds are intended to finance a $70 million baseline recovery plan approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2025. The plan targets production of nearly 2.5 million carats in 2026. It is structured around five priorities: certification of mineral reserves, securing title to mining concessions, productive investments, management of personnel costs, and the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.
The recovery plan is based on a broader blueprint developed by the Steering Committee for the Reform of State Portfolio Companies, Copirep, valued at more than $400 million.
On April 8, 2025, MIBA’s director general presented four South African companies, Bond Equipment, Mining Services, Athur Mining and Consulmet, which he said had expressed interest in helping restart operations. The companies were expected to submit bids to supply modern equipment following site visits to MIBA’s infrastructure and mining areas. No update on the process has been provided since then.
Ronsard Luabeya
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and the World Bank on Monday approved a consolidated action plan following a review of the country’s portfolio performance, setting out an implementation schedule with regular monitoring milestones. Vice Finance Minister Gracia Yamba Kazadi presided over the ceremony.
The plan aims to improve execution of World Bank-financed projects in the DRC and raise the disbursement rate to at least 30% by 2026. According to Albert Zeufack, the World Bank’s director of operations in the DRC, the country has not reached a 25% disbursement rate in the past five years. In 2025, the rate stood at 22% for projects under implementation.
The plan, developed after a technical session on Nov. 12, 2025, with government and World Bank experts, covers 22 projects totaling $1.4 billion. Infrastructure and education account for more than one-third of the financing, including $250 million for infrastructure and $300 million for education, notably skills development.
Zeufack said the rapid expansion of the World Bank’s portfolio in the DRC, from about $3 billion in 2020 to more than $8 billion today, continues to face structural and operational bottlenecks in implementation. Key challenges include growing project complexity, delays in procurement and no-objection procedures, limited capacity within project management units, and insecurity in the east of the country. He also cited underperformance by some United Nations agencies responsible for implementing activities and called for stronger accountability mechanisms.
These constraints limit the country’s absorption capacity and disbursement levels despite significant development needs, Zeufack said. To address this, Yamba Kazadi called for strengthening project teams through training and the recruitment of young graduates, as well as improving early-stage preparation to allow tenders to be launched once projects take effect.
She also urged more systematic government involvement in validating co-financing agreements, the organization of accountability workshops to clarify stakeholder roles, the integration of security risk analysis at the design stage, and the use of contract structures that prioritize results-based approaches in partnerships with U.N. agencies.
Ronsard Luabeya
Mobile networks operated by Vodacom, Orange and Airtel were restored overnight between Feb. 16 and 17, 2026, in Nyiragongo, Rutshuru, Lubero, Masisi and Walikale in North Kivu after nearly a month of disruption, several sources said. Subscribers can now make calls, send messages and access the internet in those areas.
The restoration comes as pro-rebel media report that the de facto administration set up by AFC/M23 has in recent days sought to introduce a new telecom operator in areas under its control. The rebels had accused Kinshasa of being behind the prolonged outage.
Authorities have not yet commented on the exact causes of the disruptions, which lasted nearly a month. On Jan. 26, 2026, Vodacom Congo said its technical center in Goma had been broken into, leading to a loss of network supervision and control in the area.
For several months, Congolese authorities have warned about the deteriorating quality of telecommunications services nationwide. In mid-January, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Congo, or ARPTC, attributed the disruptions to a fault on the WACS undersea cable and said repairs were scheduled for early February.
AFC/M23’s plan to bring in a new operator comes as the ARPTC accuses MTN Group of illegally providing mobile and internet services in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in Goma and Rutshuru, without a license issued by Congolese authorities.
Local sources in central Rutshuru say equipment believed to belong to MTN Rwanda has been installed on antennas in the Murambi neighborhood, allowing the Rwandan network to extend coverage into part of Congolese territory.
This is not the first time MTN-linked operations have been reported in the area. In the early 2000s, when Goma and part of North Kivu were controlled by the Rwanda-backed Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-Goma), Rwandacell, now MTN Rwanda, is 80% owned by MTN Group, with the remaining 20% listed on the Rwandan stock exchange, operated in the region under the Supercell brand.
In an article published by MTN Group, Frans Joubert, then marketing director of Rwandacell, said: “I was the CEO of Supercell, and the technical platforms were almost entirely managed from Rwanda.” He said he ran the network for nearly two years.
Until August 2005, Supercell used Rwanda’s international dialing code, +250, before switching to +243, the DRC’s code.
Timothée Manoke
Good News Africa Sarl signed a public-private partnership (PPP) contract with the Office des routes on Feb. 12, 2026, for the concession of National Road No. 27 (RN27). The agreement covers the asphalting of the 258-km Komanda-Mahagi route in Ituri province, the company said in a statement.
The statement added that the project has been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, via the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, for approval.
The project received clearance from the PPP Management Advisory and Coordination Unit (UC-PPP) in June 2025. The UC-PPP estimates the total project cost at approximately $1.54 billion, a figure that appears to reflect the project’s overall value over its lifetime rather than initial capital expenditure alone. Investment requirements are estimated at $408.3 million, or about $1.58 million per kilometre.
At a public meeting in Bunia on July 18, 2025, Good News Africa officials said the concession will run for 25 years, including five years of construction and 20 years of operations. A memorandum of understanding signed on Aug. 13, 2024, specifies that the project will follow a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The company will finance and build the road, operate it to recover its investment, and transfer it to the Office des routes at the end of the contract. The UC-PPP document classifies the agreement as a “public works and services concession.”
To ensure financial viability, the operator plans to install automated toll booths and weigh stations to protect the road surface.
Although the PPP was signed by Good News Africa Sarl, the entity named in the UC-PPP document, sources said as recently as July 2025 that construction would be carried out in partnership with Congo Eveil Logistique. The two companies, led by entrepreneurs from Ituri, said they had commissioned an asphalt plant and a crushing facility in the Tsere area, west of Bunia. Valued at $2.8 million, the facilities have production capacities of 200 to 300 tonnes of aggregates per day and 180 tonnes of asphalt per hour, respectively.
The Komanda-Mahagi road is a strategic artery for Ituri province. It runs through the territories of Komanda, Irumu and Djugu to the Mahagi border post, linking the Democratic Republic of Congo with Uganda. The corridor is a key supply route for Bunia, bringing in manufactured goods and petroleum products from Uganda and Kenya, and serving areas with strong agricultural and commercial potential. However, the stretch between Mahagi and Bunia is regularly cut off due to severe road deterioration, disrupting trade flows and pushing up consumer prices in Bunia.
Timothée Manoke
The 64 artisanal mining zones announced in November 2025 by Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba in response to a tragedy at the Kalando site in Lualaba province are not yet operational. Although the identification process has begun, implementation is expected to be phased in over time.
The Mining Cadastre, which manages the country’s mining titles, said it has started identifying the zones in coordination with the National Geological Service of Congo (SGNC). Its director general, Popol Mabolia, said about ten zones have been identified in an initial phase. These still need to be developed before being allocated to cooperatives and artisanal miners.
“It’s a process that is underway, and we will get there. But we cannot have 64 zones ready overnight,” Mabolia told reporters at the Mining Indaba conference, which ended on Feb. 12, 2026, in Cape Town. “We have already identified those that can be fast-tracked, so miners can be redirected from one site to another.”
Until the zones become operational, the shortage of designated areas continues to fuel tensions in mining regions. Several industrial concessions remain vulnerable to incursions by artisanal miners, even as the ministry’s reform aims to ease pressure on industrial sites and channel diggers toward legally regulated areas.
Some companies are moving ahead with their own formalization efforts. Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the General Cobalt Enterprise (EGC) to organize artisanal mining in Lualaba. According to the Federation of Congolese Enterprises, ERG has recorded nearly $3 billion in losses due to disruptions at its sites.
Ronsard Luabeya
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Universal Service Development Fund (FDSU) last week unveiled a 10-year strategy to narrow the digital divide. Covering 2026–2035, the plan is based on a shared infrastructure model aimed at extending network coverage to nearly 68 million people living in rural areas.
The strategy was presented on Thursday, Feb. 12, at the inaugural meeting of the sector coordination framework. The session brought together key public and private telecom stakeholders under the leadership of FDSU Director General Paterne Binene A Kadiat.
The roadmap outlines a shared infrastructure model dubbed “TowerCo Lead.” Under this framework, tower companies, known as TowerCos and acting as lead investors, finance and deploy passive infrastructure including towers, energy systems and backhaul on an open-access basis. Mobile network operators, or MNOs, then install active equipment at these sites to deliver services.
The Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC) is responsible for oversight, ensuring service quality and compliance with regulatory standards.
The FDSU plays a strategic and financial role, designing subsidy mechanisms and supervising their implementation. Subsidies are allocated by operating zone to consortia comprising TowerCos and MNOs. The country is divided into five operational zones.
Equalization
A cross-subsidization mechanism will allow revenue from profitable sites to offset losses in less viable zones, reducing dependence on public funding.
The initiative comes as infrastructure sharing gains momentum across Africa as a tool to reduce the digital divide. In the DRC, Orange and Vodacom plan to invest $179 million over four years through their joint venture Esengo Towers to deploy 1,000 telecom towers nationwide to expand mobile coverage. In August 2025, Vodacom Group and Airtel Africa also announced an agreement to share telecom infrastructure in several key markets, including the DRC.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), sharing mobile infrastructure can lower network deployment costs, particularly in rural or underserved markets. It can also support the rollout of new technologies and mobile broadband while strengthening competition when appropriate safeguards are in place.
In 2024, 2G, 3G and 4G networks covered 75%, 55% and 45% of the population, respectively, according to ITU data. The agency estimated mobile penetration at 44.3%, compared with 19.7% for internet use.
By the end of September 2025, the Congolese regulator reported mobile penetration of 65.3% and mobile internet penetration of 32.2% among a population of 112.2 million. Meanwhile, the GSMA estimated that 40 million people in the DRC were not connected to mobile internet in 2023.
Isaac K. Kassouwi, with Ecofin Agency
Kinshasa’s first subway line could begin operations on Nov. 27, 2027, according to information released on Feb. 14, 2026, following a meeting in Rotterdam between Infrastructure and Public Works Minister John Banza and Jean-Pierre Van Erps, coordinator of the Tramways de Kinshasa consortium.
At the meeting, Banza handed over the original preliminary agreement signed on Oct. 8, 2025, officially sealed by the ministry.
Several steps remain before the project can move forward. The ministry said authorities must finalize a consolidated timeline with legal safeguards, align technical studies, arrange financing and conclude the public-private partnership (PPP) agreement.
The project aims to improve mobility in the Congolese capital through the construction of seven modern rail lines using prefabricated hybrid track technology under an exclusive license. It also includes tailored energy systems and upgrades to major urban corridors and utility networks.
The consortium — comprising Prume Tramway RDC, Frateur-De Pourcq and PowerChina — has deployed more than 60 engineers for technical missions in Kinshasa, the ministry said. Studies drawing on the city’s historical plans identified the need for 173 bridges between downtown Kinshasa and N’djili International Airport.
Flood control
The design incorporates drainage, rainwater collection and treatment systems, as well as the distribution of treated water to improve access to drinking water.
The Congolese Agency for Major Works (ACGT) is overseeing the project. During the Rotterdam meeting, Banza reiterated the government’s intention to quickly finalize the PPP structure and sign the contract.
Separately, Congolese firm Congo Trans S.A.R.L. is developing a three-line rail project in the capital. According to a document reviewed by Bankable, total investment is estimated at about $205 million.
In June 2025, Congo Trans signed a memorandum of understanding with Moroccan firm Balkan Ingénierie S.A.R.L. for engineering and construction supervision services. The contract is valued at 4% of the total project cost, or roughly $8.5 million.
Ronsard Luabeya
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Chinese mining company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), which operates in Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga province, faces strict conditions before resuming operations following an environmental incident on Nov. 4, 2025. The company was suspended for three months beginning Nov. 6, 2025.
In a Feb. 13, 2026 statement, the Congolese Ministry of Mines outlined requirements for CDM's Joli-Site facility to restart operations, including full compliance of all installations, validation of updated environmental and social impact studies, complete structural certification by independent experts, and implementation of strengthened environmental monitoring. The ministry also mandated fulfillment of social obligations to neighboring communities and establishment of sustainable control, prevention and alert mechanisms to prevent future incidents.
These conditions stem from findings by a special interministerial commission established after the incident. According to the ministry, "concrete, measurable and verifiable" actions have been implemented across health, humanitarian and environmental areas.
On health, 670 people received treatment at Jason Sendwe General Reference Hospital. For humanitarian relief, 350 affected households received direct assistance, while 30,000 liters of drinking water are distributed daily to affected populations. To ensure sustainable water access, 15 boreholes were planned, with seven completed by end-December 2025.
Environmental remediation included decontamination, pumping and effluent neutralization operations, alongside construction of an emergency retention basin. The formal compensation process for victims has also begun in accordance with legal and regulatory procedures.
During a November 2025 site visit, Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba required the company to continue paying all affected personnel during the suspension, cover full repair costs for environmental damage, compensate affected populations and pay penalties under the Mining Code and applicable regulations.
Ronsard Luabeya
DRC, South Africa Sign Industrial Co-Financing Agreement Targeting Green Hydrogen, Critical Minerals
DRC’s Fonds de Promotion de l'Industrie (FPI) and South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) signed a memorandum of understanding on Feb. 12, 2026, to support industrialization in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on capital mobilization and project co-financing.
The agreement was signed in the presence of South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau. Under the deal, the IDC will deploy investment capital to support FPI initiatives and facilitate co-investments across a portfolio of projects, particularly in infrastructure.
The two institutions also plan to work together on a long-term sustainable growth strategy in selected industrial sectors. The FPI has set a fundraising target of at least $100 million as a baseline to strengthen its role in industrial and economic development. The broader agreement aims to establish co-financing mechanisms between the two development finance institutions.
FPI Director General Hervé Claude Ntumba Batukonke said closer cooperation between national development finance institutions could improve risk-sharing and help finance large-scale structural projects.
IDC Chief Executive Mmakgoshi Lekhethe said the partnership could increase co-investments in strategic sectors, including green hydrogen, critical minerals, the electric vehicle value chain, advanced manufacturing, and high-value agriculture and agro-processing.
Founded in 1940, the IDC is a South African public development finance institution that supports industrialization by providing funding and technical support to companies and projects.
Ronsard Luabeya
Power requirements for Asia Minerals Limited’s manganese project in Luozi, Kongo Central province, are projected to exceed 300 megawatts (MW), company officials said on November 26 at the Makutano Forum.
Fely Samuna, managing director of Kerith Resources, the Congolese partner of the Japanese multinational, said the total demand would comprise around 120 MW for mining operations and nearly 200 MW for in-country processing, in line with the government’s push to boost value addition and local employment.
Demand is not expected before just over three years. “Exploration will take three years, and mine development will start after that,” Samuna said, asking whether the country would be able to meet the project’s power needs.
Aimé Molendo Sakombi, Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity, said the project area includes hydroelectric sites capable of supplying the operations, notably the Mpioka site on the Inkisi River. Jean-Pierre Mukadi Kalombo, coordinator of the Energy Ministry’s Project Coordination and Management Unit, said Mpioka has an estimated capacity of about 6,000 MW.
He said the site could help supply Kinshasa, including as the city expands, as well as meet rising demand from the mining sector. Feasibility studies are scheduled to begin next year to provide the government with the technical data required for the next phase of the project.
Samuna also questioned the competitiveness of electricity tariffs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He noted that the group’s Malaysian smelter, Pertama Ferroalloys, commissioned in 2016, operates under a power purchase agreement at roughly $0.04 per kilowatt-hour. He asked whether lower tariffs could be offered in the DRC to ensure the competitiveness of local operations and encourage on-site processing.
Bob Mabiala Mvumbi, managing director of the Agency for the Development and Promotion of the Grand Inga Project (ADPI), said discussions on a future PPA were possible. “You will set a price and we will discuss it,” he said, adding that ADPI is working to secure firm demand for Inga 3, whose installed capacity is projected at between 3,000 MW and 11,000 MW.
However, the economics remain challenging. The National Electricity Company (SNEL) says the average tariff of $0.17 per kilowatt-hour is below cost and is seeking an increase. By comparison, mini-grid operators charge between $0.25 and $0.70 per kilowatt-hour.
Timothée Manoke
The Manono lithium project will require nearly $1 billion in investment, according to Alpha Monga Mwidia, chief executive of state-owned Congolaise d'exploitation minière (Cominière), in a Reuters interview at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, South Africa, which concluded on February 12, 2026.
Cominière partnered with Chinese group Zijin Mining to form the Manono Lithium joint venture, which is developing the northeastern section of the Manono lithium deposit in Tanganyika province, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The project holds an estimated 6.47 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, with an average grade of 1.5% lithium oxide, making it one of the world's largest lithium deposits.
Zijin Mining is financing the entire investment, according to Alpha Monga Mwidia. However, updated figures show the Chinese group now holds 54.9% of the project, down from its initial 61% stake. The reasons for this ownership change remain unexplained.
Production timeline revised
While the investment breakdown has not been disclosed, Zijin describes the project as encompassing mine construction, a concentration unit, a conversion plant with calcination kiln, and logistics facilities. The operation is designed to extract and process 5 million tonnes of ore annually and convert 500,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate into 95,170 tonnes of crude lithium sulfate per year.
"The mining, processing and conversion projects, as well as the logistics facilities and river diversion works are progressing on schedule, with commissioning planned for June 30, 2026," Zijin stated, noting that the accommodation camp and Phase I solar plant are already operational. This represents a three-month delay from the company's early 2025 projection of first-quarter production, though no explanation was provided.
The Mpiana-Mwanga hydroelectric plant rehabilitation was completed in 2024 by Katamba Mining (70% owned by Zijin and 30% by Cominière), boosting capacity to 40 MW. A planned expansion will add another 108 MW.
Export logistics
Lithium sulfate will be transported along the 440-kilometer Manono-Kalemie road to the industrial port of Kalemie, then shipped via Kigoma to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Road construction began in October 2024 under a public-private partnership with Chinese company Phaepon Construction and is scheduled for completion in five years. The first phase will create a passable dirt road before paving begins.
This phase "is almost complete and we hope to have lithium production by June 2026," Tanganyika Governor Christian Kitungwa Muteba said in a promotional video for Expobeton's 11th edition, a trade fair focused on urban development and special economic zones, scheduled for May 27-30, 2026, in Kalemie.
Market headwinds
The Kalemie industrial port is also under construction through a partnership with Jintai Mining PTE Ltd and Tembo Majengo Company SARL, with the first phase (requiring an estimated $70 million) expected to be operational by late 2026.
Given its investment, Zijin will market all production and share revenues proportionally with its stake in the joint venture after deducting production costs, according to the Cominière chief executive.
The project appears undeterred by the oversupplied global lithium market, driven largely by Chinese production, which has depressed prices significantly. Spodumene prices have plummeted more than 80% from their 2022 peak, dropping from over $80,000 per tonne to around $10,000 in 2025.
Pierre Mukoko