Africa is asserting greater control over the data and rules shaping its mineral wealth

African governments are seeking greater influence over how mineral deposits are mapped, mining rights allocated and resources traded, using new geological surveys, licensing rules, regional partnerships and transparency initiatives.

SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | African countries are seeking greater influence over the information, rights and systems that determine how their mineral resources are explored, developed and traded.

From geological mapping and mining licences to regional cooperation and supply-chain transparency, governments are pursuing new ways to shape who accesses their resources and how the resulting wealth is managed.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a new geological mapping programme is giving that ambition a concrete form.

Launched in Kinshasa on October 5 with Spain’s Xcalibur Smart Mapping, the three-year programme will survey nearly 700,000 square kilometres, equivalent to about 35% of the country, collecting more than three million line-kilometres of geophysical data.

Eight aircraft are already deployed, with up to 12 expected at peak operations.

“The campaign we are launching today is a tangible step in the right direction,” said Louis Watum Kabamba, the DRC’s minister of mines. “Beyond its technical dimension, it is of strategic importance: it will enable us to improve our knowledge of our territory, deepen our understanding of our mineral resources and transform this knowledge into development opportunities for our people and a legacy for future generations.”

The programme combines magnetic, radiometric, gravity and electromagnetic surveys to build a more detailed picture of the country’s geology.

Xcalibur says the resulting information will be processed using digital technologies, including its XENAI platform, which integrates geoscientific data with artificial intelligence tools. Congolese experts will also receive practical training alongside the company’s international teams.

The programme builds on a US$180 million contract signed with Xcalibur, which began in January, as Kinshasa works towards establishing a national geological databank expected to become operational by the end of 2026.

According to a September 8 Reuters report, the government plans to offer basic geological information free of charge while charging for access to more sensitive datasets, with requests assessed against investor needs and the country’s strategic interests.

“The data generated under these programmes constitute a strategic asset of the Congolese state,” Raoul Wazenga Vitima, director general of the National Geological Survey of Congo, told Reuters.

The agency estimates that systematic exploration covers only about 20% of the country, despite the DRC’s substantial deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, tantalum and gold.

Companies invested US$130.7 million in exploration in 2024, the highest total in Africa, according to figures cited by Reuters from S&P data, but activity remains concentrated in the copper-cobalt belt of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga.

Control over geological information could help change where that investment flows and which deposits are developed.

Better mapping can reduce exploration uncertainty, but the terms governing access to the resulting data will determine whether smaller domestic companies, researchers and new investors can compete with established mining groups.

“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,” according to Jean Jacques Kayembe Mufwankolo, head of the DRC’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

The DRC is a global critical minerals powerhouse, accounting for approximately 73% of mined cobalt production in 2025 and producing an estimated 3.2 million tonnes of copper, second only to Chile. Its cobalt is particularly important to battery supply chains, as global demand reached 276,000 tonnes in 2025.

The push to strengthen geological intelligence is also evident in neighbouring Zambia, where the government is combining new surveys with tougher rules on mineral rights and calls for greater regional cooperation.

Speaking at the Zambia Mining and Investment Insaka in Lusaka on October 19, President Hakainde Hichilema warned companies against holding mining licences for speculative purposes, saying the government would enforce a “use it or lose it” policy.

Zambia has invested nearly US$100 million in a nationwide, high-resolution geophysical survey covering all 752,000 square kilometres of the country, according to the president.

Hichilema said the survey was intended to reduce exploration risks and attract investment, while the government targets annual copper production of three million tonnes by 2031. The policy direction links better knowledge of mineral deposits with pressure on licence holders to develop projects, create jobs and generate economic activity.

Zambia’s copper production rose 8% to 890,346 tonnes in 2025. Targeting three million tonnes annually by 2031, the country is seeking to expand its role in supplying copper for electric vehicles, renewable energy and wider electrification.

The government is also looking beyond its borders. Hichilema called on Zambia, the DRC and Botswana to establish cross-border joint ventures and harmonise standards for critical minerals and energy.

DRC Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba highlighted the countries’ shared copperbelt, stretching between Kolwezi and Ndola, and called for cooperation on geological research, mineral traceability and efforts to curb illicit trade.

The proposals point to a regional approach to mineral development, in which neighbouring countries coordinate infrastructure, energy and investment rather than compete solely to attract individual mining projects.

Reliable electricity, shared transmission networks and improved rail links could help support deeper mining operations and mineral processing, although the extent to which the three governments will translate these proposals into joint projects remains to be seen.

Alongside geological intelligence and licensing, transparency over who benefits from extraction is becoming another part of the push.

At the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Leadership Forum in Brussels, Zambia committed to publishing company-level data on local content in mining and developing a consolidated disclosure mechanism by 2027.

The system is intended to help track opportunities for Zambian businesses and make the sector’s contribution to the domestic economy more visible.

The commitments formed part of a broader set of initiatives announced on October 21. The European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development outlined plans for a €10 million (about US$11.2 million), five-year regional programme, to be implemented with EITI, to support responsible and transparent African mineral value chains.

The programme is intended to strengthen mineral data systems and due diligence, while a separate three-year partnership between EITI and the World Gold Council will focus on gold traceability, formalising artisanal and small-scale mining, and combating illicit trade.

These initiatives reflect a growing emphasis on making information useful beyond disclosure alone. Publishing company ownership, local-content figures and mineral-tracing records can help governments and citizens scrutinise commercial relationships, but the impact depends on whether the information is accessible, independently verifiable and used to enforce rules.

The challenge is visible in gold supply chains, where responsibility extends beyond the mine to traders, refiners and institutions that set standards for access to international markets.

In Tanzania, proceedings involving the London Bullion Market Association have brought that question before the courts. The case concerns alleged fatal shootings of artisanal miners at the North Mara gold mine in 2019 and whether the association can be held legally responsible in connection with gold sourcing and refinery accreditation.

****

SOURCE: Bonface Orucho, bird story agency

Share on: WhatsApp