Congo – Mines
– The development of the mining industry

Boosting the practice of public-private partnerships (PPPs) should promote the diversification of a Congolese economy that has for too long remained dependent solely on oil revenues. In particular, it could accelerate the development of the country's mining potential. Congo's subsoil has the potential to contain several billion tons of iron reserves, including 517 million tons for the mega-deposit of Mount Nabemba alone, and significant copper deposits, the exploitation of which requires significant investment, now made possible by the new law of December 30, 2022, on PPPs.

Congo's Mining Code, finalized in 2005, establishes an attractive regulatory framework for companies wishing to conduct mining operations in the country. The Code provides four types of mining permits: prospecting authorization; research permit; industrial exploitation authorization; and exploitation permit. The Congolese government thus provides both the appropriate infrastructure and an attractive regulatory framework for regional and international investors wishing to invest there.

For example, the Sintoukola potash mine has the potential to transform Congo's mining sector by contributing to the diversification of the Congolese economy. The Sintoukola district is a globally significant potash basin in the Republic of Congo, with very high-grade, shallow deposits located close to the coast. According to the 2019 feasibility study, the project could generate annual revenues of $773 million. Backed by Oman's state-owned fund and Chile's SQM, the British company Kore Potash Plc, which focuses on the development of Congolese phosphates and its Kola mine, signed a contract in June 2022 with its new partner, the Chinese construction company Sepco, a subsidiary of PowerChina, for the construction of Kola.