1. Legal framework

The mining sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is regulated by Law n°18/001 of 9 March 2018 modifying and completing Law n° 007/2002 of 11 July 2002 on the Mining Code.

The merit of the new Code is that it reaffirms the principle that the mining concession rights are distinct from those of land concessions, so that a land concessionaire cannot use his title to claim any right of ownership over the mineral substances contained in the subsoil. Furthermore, the new Code classifies mineral deposits as mines and quarries.

It stipulates that the President of the Republic may downgrade or reclassify a mineral deposit as a product of a quarry and vice versa.

The objectives of the Mining Code are as follows:

• Create a win-win framework for all;
• Develop and encourage infrastructure for all;
• Develop the human capital of the DRC;
• Develop local processing capacity;
• Develop R&D as a destination for foreign capital and technology;
• Encourage the immediate development of the country and not speculation.

2. Mineral Resource Potential by Province

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo is known for its mining potential representing 1,100 different mineral substances. 
• Every province in the country can claim to hold mineral wealth. The table below illustrates this reality and at the same time presents the various minerals that abound in the subsoil of all the provinces of the DRC.

Geological reserves for some substances in DR Congo

 Source: www.cami.cd

3. The characteristics of Congolese minerals are as follows:

• The BANALIA deposits have a high iron content of over 65% (low Si02 content).
• The ores of (magnetites, hematites, mastites, goethites) in Katanga have a content varying between 54 and 66% iron and 3 and 21% silica without many impurities.
• Chromium and Nickel have an average grade of 1.45% and 3.8% Cr. The Lead Vanadates deposit has an average ore grade of 25-30% lead, and 5-6% vanadium, etc.
• Bauxite occurs at Sumbi and Sanzala with a grade of 48% Al.
• Fundu Nzobe’s phosphate resources in the Lower River District are estimated at 70 million gross tons with an average P2O5 content of 27%. At Kanzi, the same resources are estimated at 25 million tons at an average grade of 17% P2O5. At Vangu, they are estimated at 20 million tons at 22% P2O5.

4. Achievements

The reform of this sector by opening it up to private partners has made it possible to attract several subsidiaries of the world’s major multinationals to the DRC. The success story indicates the presence in the country of companies such as: TENKE FUNGURUME MINING (FREE PORT McROAN, KOLWEZI COPPER COMPANY (KINROSS-EGMF), KIBALI GOLD, MUTANDA MINING, ASHANTI GOLDFIELD KILO, TWANGIZA MINING, etc.), KIBALI GOLD, MUTANDA MINING, ASHANTI GOLDFIELD KILO and TWANGIZA MINING.

This massive presence has favored the meteoric increase over the years of the country’s mining production, which explains the spectacular improvement of the country’s macro-economic indicators. Below, the evolution of the production of some main products of the sector