Congo Halts Mineral Concentrate Exports to Force Domestic Processing

The government directive, signed by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum alongside the ministers of foreign trade and economy, mandates a shift toward high-value exports. While the ban is immediate, the order allows for one-year strategic waivers, a mechanism used during previous attempts to enforce similar policies in 2013, 2019, and 2023. The new framework also introduces a revised tax regime for mining by-products, targeting trace minerals recovered during the refining process.

Industry response remains mixed as the country moves to consolidate control over its mineral wealth. Ivanhoe Mines, operator of the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex, noted that it has historically secured exemptions for its output, much of which is already processed at local smelters in Kolwezi. Analyst Christian-Geraud Neema suggests the broad impact on major operators will be limited, as most of the nation's copper is already exported as refined cathodes rather than raw concentrate. Official figures for the first quarter of 2026 show that copper cathode exports reached 696,725 tons, dwarfing the 53,926 tons of concentrate shipped during the same period.