Kinshasa, September 28th, 2025 (CPA).- A quota system for cobalt exports by the Democratic Republic of Congo will come into force on the next October 16th, replacing the moratorium decided on February 22nd which prohibited the export of this mineral from the country, according to a statement consulted on Sunday by CPA. ‘Between mid-October and the end of the year, 18,000 tonnes will be allowed to leave the country, followed by 96,600 tonnes for 2026 and 2027,’ according to the statement from the Regulatory and Control Authority for Strategic Mineral Markets (Arecoms). According to the trader Darton Commodities, these quantities represent less than half of the 220,000 tonnes produced by DRC in 2024.
It should be remembered that for seven months, not a single pound of cobalt had left the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country, which produces 75% of this blue-tinged mineral essential for the manufacture of electric car batteries and of certain weapons, had decided on February 22nd to impose a moratorium on exports. A decision, has reported the source, intended to raise world prices, which had fallen to an all-time low (less than $10 per pound), despite the world transition to electric vehicles. Stored, Cobalt was piling up in the warehouses of mining companies operating in DRC. Thanks to the quota system that will come into effect on October 16th, cobalt will once again be able to cross borders. By limiting its exports in this way, Kinshasa wants to ensure control over the price of the metal, which has been in free fall for three years and whose refining is dominated by China. The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for 75% of the world cobalt production.