Congo tightens grip on mineral exports with ban on copper and cobalt concentrates

The Democratic Republic of Congo has prohibited exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate, according to a government order reviewed on Thursday, marking the latest step in an ongoing push to force more mineral processing to happen inside the country and capture a larger share of the value generated by its mining sector.

News of the ban sent benchmark three month copper prices on the London Metal Exchange up by as much as 1.8 percent to $14,369.50 a metric ton, the highest level since January 29, when the metal touched an all time peak of $14,527.50. Prices stood at $14,300 as of 0930 GMT following the report.

Congo holds the position of the world’s largest cobalt supplier and ranks among the top sources of copper and other minerals critical to the global energy transition. The government is using that leverage to encourage the build out of domestic processing capacity rather than allowing raw or partially processed materials to leave the country.

The order, dated June 29 and signed jointly by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya and Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba, states plainly that exporting copper and cobalt concentrates is now prohibited. The prohibition took effect immediately, though the order allows for one year export waivers to be granted under unspecified strategic circumstances.

The same order also establishes a new tax structure covering economically significant mining by products, with a three month transition period built in before the new rules take full effect. Officials said the export ban aims to push mining companies toward marketing or exporting higher value processed mineral products rather than raw concentrate.

This marks the fourth time Congo has restricted concentrate exports, following similar bans imposed in 2013, 2019 and 2023, each of which included waivers in cases where domestic smelting capacity could not keep pace with output. The new order formally repeals the 2023 measure and its associated exemptions, replacing it with a broader regulatory framework governing both mineral exports and taxation of significant by products recovered during processing.

Congo already exports the vast majority of its copper in refined form. During the first quarter of 2026, the country shipped 696,725 tons of copper cathodes, compared with just 53,926 tons of copper concentrate containing roughly 18,863 tons of copper metal, according to official figures. Over the same period, Congo exported 51,940 tons of cobalt hydroxide containing about 17,054 tons of cobalt metal.

Christian Geraud Neema, a mining analyst with the nonprofit China Global South Project, said the new ban is unlikely to significantly disrupt most mining operators since the bulk of Congo’s copper and cobalt already undergoes domestic refining before export. He said the operation most likely to feel the impact is the Kamoa Kakula venture, jointly owned by Ivanhoe Mines, China’s Zijin Mining and the Congolese government, which still exports some volume of concentrate under existing exemptions. Neither Ivanhoe nor Zijin responded immediately to requests for comment, and the Congolese chamber of mines also did not respond.

The newly introduced tax regime applies broadly across mineral categories, extending to trace and ultra trace minerals recovered during the refining process. These by products will be taxed using a 55 percent valuation coefficient, with royalties applied alongside those already charged on the primary mineral being extracted.

The policy fits into a broader pattern across resource rich African nations seeking to move beyond raw material exports and capture more manufacturing and processing value domestically, a shift that has gained momentum as global demand for energy transition minerals like copper and cobalt continues to grow.