The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reinstated a nationwide ban on copper and cobalt concentrate exports, tightening restrictions on the shipment of unprocessed minerals as part of its strategy to expand domestic mineral processing.
The renewed policy, signed by the country’s Ministers of Mines, Foreign Trade and Economy, closes previous exemptions that allowed some mining companies to continue exporting concentrates. It also introduces a 55% valuation-coefficient tax on selected mining by-products and provides a three-month transition period for affected operators.
The decision marks the fourth major restriction on concentrate exports since 2013 and follows the government’s recent measures to regulate cobalt exports through production quotas.
Major producers have begun assessing the impact. Ivanhoe Mines stated that its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex is largely insulated because most of its copper production is already processed through local smelting facilities before export.
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The latest policy reinforces the DRC’s long-term objective of capturing greater value from its mineral resources through domestic beneficiation.
Mining companies that rely on exporting raw concentrates could face higher operating costs, additional investment requirements and potential project delays if local processing capacity is insufficient.
For investors, financiers and infrastructure developers, the policy strengthens demand for new smelters, processing facilities, logistics infrastructure and energy projects supporting the mining sector.
The development also strengthens the government’s broader resource-nationalisation strategy and builds upon recent reforms affecting cobalt exports.