Kinshasa, May 19th, 2025 (CPA). The Mines Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo has said that cobalt must become a symbol of climate justice and international cooperation in the energy transition process, given the global issues surrounding the exploitation of critical and strategic minerals, the CPA learned on Monday from an official source. ‘The DRC’s cobalt must become a symbol of climate justice and international cooperation, in view of the global issues surrounding the exploitation of so-called critical and strategic minerals, some of which the DRC can legitimately claim to specialize in’, declared Kizito Pakabomba Kapinga, Minister in charge of Mines, at the 8th annual congress of the “Cobalt Institute” in Singapore. The Minister in charge of Mines, who took part in the Annual Cobalt Congress organized by the Cobalt Institute in Singapore as the DRC’s representative as the world’s leading cobalt producer, raised the Congolese voice at the heart of global cobalt issues. Kizito Pakabomba took the opportunity to remind investors in the sector that over 70% of the world’s cobalt comes from the Congolese subsoil, underlining the DRC’s strategic responsibility in the global energy transition.
He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to promoting local processing, traceability, sustainable investment and the creation of added value for the Congolese people. The Minister in charge of Mines also highlighted the five areas of diversification in Congolese mining policy, including diversification of mineral resources, diversification of geographical zones, diversification of locally processed products and diversification of the national economy.
A sovereign and key player in global value chains
Mr Kizito Pakabomba also maintained that the DRC intends to once again become a sovereign and key player in global value chains through initiatives such as the temporary suspension of raw cobalt exports, the strengthening of traceability through the General Cobalt Company (Egc), and membership of international platforms such as the Minerals security partnership. The minister’s participation in this world summit reinforces the image of a proactive DRC, determined to influence global decisions on critical resources. This mission testifies to the country’s ambition to be more than just a land of exploitation, but a central player in the ethical and strategic governance of the minerals of the future. This summit was marked by the active participation of the Congolese delegation in the panel entitled ‘Turning regulation and strategic intention into practical implementation’, with the notable contribution of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Strategic Mineral Substances Market Regulation and Control Authority (ARECOMS), the IGM, and the Director General of the EGC.
On the fringes of the congress, His Excellency held a series of bilateral meetings with a number of high-ranking personalities, including Mr Septian Hario Seto, Deputy Secretary General for the Coordination of Mining Investments of Indonesia, as well as with the CEOs and Managing Directors of the main Congolese mining companies, including Mr Placide Nkala, Director of the Congolese Ministry in charge of Mines. Placide Nkala, Managing Director of Gécamines, Guy Robert Lukama, CEO of Gécamines, a Glencore delegation led by Marie-Chantal Kaninda, President of Glencore DRC and CEO of Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), and representatives of the CRU Group.