Congo bans exports of copper, cobalt concentrates, official order says

Published: Aug 6, 2026 16:57

Save

According to Reuters, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced an immediate ban on exports of copper and cobalt concentrates as part of its efforts to promote domestic mineral processing and increase the value added from its mineral resources. According to a government order obtained by Reuters, the ban was signed on June 29 by the Minister of Mines, the Minister of Foreign Trade and the Minister of Economy, and explicitly prohibits the export of copper and cobalt concentrates. At the same time, the DRC has introduced a new tax regime for economically significant mining by-products to increase revenue from its mining sector. The new tax regime includes a three-month transition period, while the export ban takes effect immediately. Under "strategic" circumstances, the Minister of Mines may grant export waivers for up to one year. As the world's largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper supplier, the DRC's move is expected to affect major mining companies operating in the country, including CMOC, Glencore, Huayou Cobalt, Zijin Mining, Ivanhoe Mines and Eurasian Resources Group.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

21 mins ago

[SMM Separator Weekly Review] Supply-demand balance remains tight, coated products poised for price hikes

[SMM Analysis] Separator Market Prices Remain Stable Overall

21 mins ago

50 mins ago

Cost Support Weakens as Cobalt Prices Fall Across the Board

50 mins ago

1 hour ago

Core Lithium Resumes Spodumene Production at Finniss, Boosting Capacity by 20% After Two-Year Break

On September 8th, Core Lithium has produced first spodumene concentrate from the recommissioned Finniss processing plant in the Northern Territory, marking a milestone in the company's staged restart of the operation. Core Lithium restarted mining at the Grants openpit in May and recommissioned the crushing circuit in August to build sufficient crushed ore stockpiles for processing. First concentrate was achieved within six months of the company's final investment decision to proceed with the Finniss restart. The company has undertaken targeted upgrades to debottleneck the processing circuit and optimise recoveries, including screen refurbishments, rolls crusher enhancements and improvements to the ferrosilicon distribution system. Crushing and dense media separation operations have been consolidated into a single control room. These upgrades are expected to increase plant throughput capacity by about 20% to 1.2 million t/y. Finniss began initial spodumene concentrate production in February 2023 before being placed on care and maintenance in mid-2024 amid a downturn in lithium prices. The project has since been repositioned as a lower-cost, long-life operation with a 20-year mine life and average production of 214,000 t/y. Finniss is the only major hard-rock lithium mine operating outside of Western Australia.

1 hour ago