The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has banned exports of copper and cobalt concentrates under a new government order aimed at forcing domestic processing and retaining greater economic value from its vast mineral reserves
According to an official government order signed by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum, the ban takes immediate effect alongside a new taxation framework on mineral by-products.
The ban states that “the export of copper and cobalt concentrates is prohibited.” Reuters reported the order has been signed since June 29 2026.
The policy targets Congo’s main economic engine. Data from the Central Bank of the DRC shows mining makes up 98.9% of total exports ($34.9 billion). Copper and cobalt alone account for over 75% of all foreign earnings
Congo produces 70% of the world’s cobalt and is the second-largest copper producer. However, foreign countries like China currently process most of these minerals capturing the vast majority of downstream refining value.
However, forcing companies to refine minerals locally will not be easy. Congo faces severe power shortages. A similar ban in 2013 failed because the country lacked electricity and local smelters.
For big miners like Glencore and Ivanhoe, the law forces immediate changes. They must build their own power sources and smelting plants in Congo to keep operating.
Mining firms without local smelters face huge risks. They may have to ask the government for special one-year export permissions just to keep selling raw minerals abroad; as the order includes export waivers under “strategic” circumstances.
Overseas refineries now face severe mineral shortages and lower profits. At the same time, Congo’s new tax on by-products will make sure companies pay for secondary trace minerals.
Since the ban, benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange risen by as much as 1.8% to $14,369.50 a metric ton, the highest since January 29 when the metal hit an all-time peak of $14,527.50.
