Kinshasa, October 15th, 2026 (CPA).– The establishment of a branch office tasked with overseeing the artisanal mining of strategic minerals in Mbuji-Mayi, in Eastern part of Kasaï, in the centre of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was the focus of a mission carried out by the General Company of Cobalt (EGC), according to a press release from the company seen by the CPA on Thursday.
“Having surveyed the new cobalt and copper deposits in the region, the EGC – whose remit is to channel, process and market strategic minerals from artisanal production – must establish a presence in Kasaï-Oriental. That is the aim of our mission,” has said Dodie Mobutu, Deputy Managing Director of the EGC, as quoted in the press release.
According to the source, the President of the Provincial Assembly was in favour of this move.
“The President of the Provincial Assembly was very receptive and made it clear that he welcomed the establishment of the EGC with open arms, not only in Mbuji-Mayi but throughout Kasaï-Oriental,” he has added.
He has specified that this facility is necessary to fulfil the mission entrusted to the EGC and to enable it to intervene effectively in the strategic minerals sector derived from artisanal mining.
In his view, supporting provincial elected representatives is only natural, as the project directly concerns the interests of local people and communities that depend on small-scale mining.
Assessment of artisanal miners’ conditions prior to deployment in Katende
Furthermore, the same press release stated that Mr Mobutu visited Katende, as part of the effective roll-out of the company’s operations in the province, to assess the situation on the ground and the working conditions of artisanal miners.
“We have come to Katende as part of EGC’s roll-out in Kasaï-Oriental to assess the situation on the ground with regard to environmental, social and governance (ESG) conditions and all related matters concerning formalisation, the sustainability of the sites and the working conditions of artisanal miners, so that we can produce a comprehensive report,” he has explained.
This preliminary assessment is intended to guide the roll-out of the EGC in Kasaï-Oriental, with the aim of contributing to the sustainability of artisanal mining sites and the improvement of working conditions.