At a side event of the Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Feb. 19, the coordinator of the EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (ITIE-RDC), Jean Jacques Kayembe, pressed for greater local processing of minerals and clearer regulatory expectations to boost economic gains from the country’s mining sector.
Kayembe said the current model, which prioritises extraction and export of raw ores, has delivered limited benefits despite strong copper and cobalt prices on global exchanges. He argued that value is unlocked in downstream stages of processing and that a shift toward industrialisation on Congolese soil is essential for job creation and public revenue.
He identified key constraints, including gaps in industrial infrastructure, unreliable power supplies and an uneven business climate, and stressed the need for consistent enforcement of existing laws rather than frequent code revisions that could unsettle investors. The ITIE-RDC coordinator also said making legal and economic information more accessible is vital to attract both local and foreign capital.
Officials noted that the global push for electrification and renewable technologies has heightened demand for metals in which the DRC is richly endowed.
Against this backdrop, Kayembe called on the government to accelerate reforms and support large-scale projects that would anchor more of the mining value chain within the country.
