DRC lifts planned copper sales to US fivefold to 500,000 tonnes

The Democratic Republic of Congo has raised planned copper sales to the United States to 500,000 tonnes through a state-backed marketing venture, a fivefold increase from its initial commitment made in January.

The deal is led by state miner Gécamines and marketed through a joint venture with Mercuria Energy Group, with backing from the US International Development Finance Corporation. It targets copper output from Gécamines' minority stakes in major operations, including Glencore's Kamoto Copper Company and CMOC's Tenke Fungurume mine, one of the world's highest-grade copper-cobalt deposits.

Turning stakes into shipments

The expanded agreement highlighted the DRC's growing influence in global copper markets while intensifying competition between Western and Chinese players for control of critical mineral supply chains, as Kinshasa sought to convert passive minority stakes into direct revenue and greater commercial control. While the partnership was intended to improve transparency, Mercuria remained the seller of record as Gécamines continued building an in-house trading arm. Analysts said the transition would require significant investment in financing, insurance, risk management and access to physical markets that Gécamines had not previously needed to manage at this scale.

A fast-moving trade relationship

Congo's copper production had surged to 3.5 million tonnes in 2025, cementing its position as the world's second-largest producer, and the scale of the new US commitment showed how quickly Washington's critical-minerals diplomacy with Kinshasa was translating into concrete trade flows rather than remaining aspirational. The jump from 100,000 to 500,000 tonnes within three months also underscored the political value both governments placed on demonstrating momentum, even though the practical logistics of insuring, financing and shipping that much additional copper to American buyers remained to be worked out on a compressed timeline. By September, US customs data would show the strategy bearing fruit, with monthly Congolese copper imports into the United States hitting a fresh record even as China's own purchases from the DRC edged lower.

Sources

• Mining.com: DRC boosts US copper sales fivefold to 500,000 tonnes, 16 Apr 2026

Photo: A copper electrolysis hall at a refinery near Kolwezi in the DRC's Katanga copperbelt. Gécamines (Zairian company), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.