Belgium Open to Deeper Involvement in DRC’s Minerals Sector

Chronic Instability in DRC

The DRC is home to large reserves of copper, cobalt, lithium, and uranium among other minerals, but chronic instability has long been an obstacle to the foreign investment needed to fully develop them.

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Seeking New Investment Partners

Kinshasa is trying to attract new players to the sector and talks are already under way with Washington after a Congolese senator pitched a minerals-for-security deal contacted US officials.

Belgium’s Interest in Congolese Minerals

Asked by Reuters about possible interest in Congolese minerals, foreign affairs minister Maxime Prevot said Belgium had firms with the know-how to ramp up its role in the sector.

Expertise in Rare Critical Materials

Prevot mentioned that Belgium has globally recognized expertise with players like Umicore and John Cockerill, who have the capacity to process all these rare critical materials.

Potential Investment Partnership

“If one day the opportunity arises to also be an investment partner, we will not pull back,” Prevot added.

Visit to DRC

Prevot is visiting the Great Lakes region, including Uganda and Burundi. On Monday, he met Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa and President Félix Tshisekedi.