Congo Halts Copper and Cobalt Exports to Force Domestic Processing

As the world’s leading cobalt producer and second-largest copper supplier, Congo is moving to retain a greater share of value from its natural resources. The order, signed by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya, and Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba, takes effect immediately. While the decree mandates a total halt on raw concentrate shipments, the mines minister retains the authority to grant one-year export waivers under specific strategic conditions.

Alongside the export ban, the government introduced a new tax regime targeting economically significant mining by-products. Companies operating in the region—including industry giants such as Glencore, CMOC, Huayou Cobalt, Zijin Mining, Ivanhoe Mines, and Eurasian Resources Group—now face a three-month transition period to comply with the revised tax structures. This regulatory overhaul marks a significant escalation in the state’s effort to tighten control over its extraction sector and demand more local industrial investment.