The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is moving to centralize control over the geological data that underpins billions of dollars in mining exploration, arguing that such information is strategic national infrastructure.
The policy aims to give the DRC greater leverage in negotiations with mining firms while reducing exploration risk for investors, even as global competition for critical minerals intensifies, The Straits Times reported on September 8.
A nationwide geological mapping program has accelerated since January 2026 under a three-year, $180 million contract with Spain’s Xcalibur Multiphysics Group, a specialist in airborne geophysical surveys and geodata analytics.
The project will cover more than 700,000 square kilometers, combining new airborne data with digitized historical records to produce a comprehensive national geological databank expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026, according to Raoul Wazenga Vitima, director general of the National Geological Survey of Congo (SGNC).
Vitima said that the data generated under these programs “constitute a strategic asset of the Congolese state,” signaling a deliberate shift from the colonial-era pattern in which much geological intelligence remained with foreign companies or institutions. Alongside Xcalibur, the DRC is running parallel mapping initiatives with partners including France’s BRGM, South Africa’s Council for Geoscience, and US-based firms such as KoBold Metals, with results all feeding into the central databank.
The DRC plans to retain state control over its databank and charge for certain datasets. Under a tiered access system, basic geological information will remain freely available, while more sensitive or detailed data will be subject to controlled, fee-based access. Revenues from data sales are intended to help fund continued exploration and mapping, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of data generation and state capacity-building.
The policy arrives as the DRC sits at the heart of an intensifying US–China contest for critical minerals. The country is the world’s largest cobalt producer and holds the largest known cobalt reserves, while also possessing major deposits of copper, lithium, tantalum and gold. Chinese-linked entities are estimated to manage or own nearly 80% of critical mineral extraction in the DRC, prompting Washington to deepen its engagement.
Nevertheless, China remains Congo's biggest copper customer. Chinese imports from Congo fell 4.3% in the first seven months of 2026, but China still accounted for 39.4% of Congo's copper exports in July, compared with 23.9% for the US.
In December 2025, the US and DRC signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement designed to facilitate stable, long-term American access to critical minerals and encourage investment in mining and processing. US copper imports from the DRC hit a record 53,290 tons in July 2026 as Washington seeks to diversify supply chains away from China. At the same time, China controls, wholly or in part, 15 of 19 copper and cobalt mines in the DRC, underscoring the stakes for both powers.
