KINSHASA, Sept 8 – The Democratic Republic of Congo is moving to strengthen state control over geological information that underpins mining exploration, as the world’s leading cobalt producer seeks a greater role in determining how future mineral discoveries are developed.
According to a Reuters report, the government is accelerating nationwide geological mapping, airborne surveys and the digitization of historical records to create a comprehensive national geological databank covering the country’s critical mineral resources. Officials say the initiative is intended to reduce exploration risk while building a stronger information base for the mining sector.
But unlike several established mining jurisdictions, Congo plans to retain state control over access to the database and charge for certain categories of information. Raoul Wazenga Vitima, director general of the National Geological Survey of Congo (SGNC), said requests for sensitive information would be assessed against investor requirements and the country’s strategic interests.
“The data generated under these programmes constitute a strategic asset of the Congolese state,” Vitima said.
Building a National Mineral Intelligence System
The programme gained momentum this year following the start of a $180 million contract with Spain’s Xcalibur, a specialist in geodata mapping. The three-year project began in January and covers more than 700,000 square kilometres, using airborne geophysics, digitised historical information and advanced analytical techniques to identify potential exploration targets.
Its findings, together with data from other mapping programmes funded by the Congolese government, mining revenues and international partners, are expected to feed into the national geological databank.
Vitima said the system should be fully operational by the end of 2026. Congo holds some of the world’s largest deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, tantalum and gold, yet much of the country remains poorly explored. The SGNC estimates that systematic geological exploration has covered only about 20% of the country’s territory.
That leaves substantial potential for new discoveries, while also giving the government an opportunity to influence how future exploration capital is deployed.
State Control and Tiered Access
The planned databank will use a tiered access model. Basic geological information will be available without charge, while more sensitive datasets will require payment.
Vitima said revenues from selected data products would help finance further geological surveys and exploration. The government has yet to disclose the precise fee structure or which categories of information will be subject to charges.
The approach represents a more interventionist model than that used in countries such as Australia, where extensive geological information is generally made available to explorers and researchers.
The strategic implications extend beyond current mining operations. Three mining executives and a geologist cited in the reporting said greater government control over geological intelligence could allow Kinshasa to influence which deposits are explored and which future resources are developed.
Mark Jessell, a geology and geophysics expert at the University of Western Australia, described geological information as an increasingly important component of national mineral policy.
“Control of geological data is increasingly becoming a strategic policy tool,” Jessell said.
“It affects not only what a country mines today, but what it may discover and develop tomorrow.”
More Mineral Wealth, More Strategic Importance
Congo’s growing resource base adds weight to the government’s strategy. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the country’s estimated cobalt reserves increased by more than 76% between 2000 and 2025, reaching approximately 6 million tons, or more than half of known global reserves.
Exploration has expanded estimates of Congo’s already substantial Copperbelt resources, while the country remains one of the most important sources of minerals considered essential to batteries, electrification and other industrial technologies.
Jean Jacques Kayembe Mufwankolo, Congo’s head of the Norway-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, said a transparent framework could improve competition among investors by reducing the informational advantage held by companies already operating in the country.
“A transparent system based on objective criteria reduces the informational advantage of operators already established in the country, attracts a greater diversity of investors and strengthens Congo’s negotiating position,” he said.
Moise Liboto Makuta, Congo head of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, similarly argued that comprehensive geological information could strengthen the government’s position during negotiations with mining companies.
“Better negotiated deals mean more revenue reaching the public purse, not just the company and a few well-placed officials,” he added.
Washington and Beijing Factor Into the Strategy
The initiative comes as Congo occupies an increasingly important position in competition between the United States and China over critical-mineral supply chains.
Kinshasa has signed separate agreements with both countries aimed at expanding cooperation in the mining sector. Vitima said the geological databank was not intended to give preferential treatment to either side.
Instead, he said Congo wants to diversify its investor base while applying the same rules to companies regardless of their country of origin.
The government is also developing geological partnerships with several international institutions and companies. Alongside Xcalibur, these include France’s state geological survey BRGM, South Africa’s Council for Geoscience, U.S.-based KoBold Metals and Atlas Park, as well as Japan’s Solafune and Belgium’s AfricaMuseum.
From Mineral Controls to Geological Intelligence
Congo has already demonstrated how government policy can influence global mineral markets. In February 2025, the government imposed a cobalt export ban when prices had fallen to roughly $10 a pound, or $22,046 per metric ton. A subsequent quota system helped shift the market from surplus into deficit, contributing to a rise in cobalt prices to approximately $26 a pound.
The government is now applying a different form of influence, targeting the information that determines where future exploration takes place.
Greg Agnew, chief executive of Canadian mining technology company Ideon Technologies, said the value of better geological intelligence lies in reducing the time required to identify, finance and develop deposits.
“The problem is rarely whether minerals exist,” Agnew said.
“The challenge is how quickly deposits can be understood, financed and developed. Better geological information helps compress that timeline.”
Grant Sanden, chief executive of Canada’s GeologicAI, said geological data can influence future mineral supply in ways that differ from traditional export restrictions.
The potential economic effect is significant. A 2015 Western Australia study found that every A$1 million invested in government geoscience generated A$19.8 million in additional private exploration expenditure.
Transparency Could Determine the Outcome
Not all industry participants favour restricting access to geological information, KoBold Metals, which operates in Congo, says it has made more than 260,000 pages of historical Congolese geological records publicly available. In neighbouring Zambia, the company helped make approximately 150,000 records accessible through a government fee-based portal.
Benjamin Katabuka, KoBold’s head of operations in Congo, said the company’s preference was for broader accessibility. “Our objective is to have open data for explorers and researchers,” Katabuka said.
Vitima argues that Congo’s circumstances differ from mature mining jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, which accumulated much of their geological information over decades and have already benefited from its commercial use.
Congo, he said, is still building its geological knowledge base and therefore views the information as a strategic resource that can also generate funding for continued exploration.
For investors, however, the effectiveness of the system could ultimately depend on how consistently access rules are applied.
Makuta of the Natural Resource Governance Institute said the central test would be whether geological information is released according to transparent rules rather than being selectively made available to politically connected or established operators.
“Whether the government applies its rules for releasing data fairly and openly, rather than letting insiders get early access.”
Congo’s geological databank therefore represents more than a technical upgrade to its mining sector. It could become a new instrument of resource policy, allowing Kinshasa to move beyond controlling how minerals leave the country toward influencing who discovers them, who develops them and under what terms.
