The DRC and Angola have signed a new US-backed agreement on the Lobito Corridor, aiming to cut copper and cobalt transit times from roughly 30 days to a week or less as Washington competes with Chinese-backed routes.
Kobaloni Energy is developing a 6,000-tonne-a-year cobalt sulphate refinery in Zambia aimed at European battery makers, positioning it as Africa's first large-scale plant of its kind.
Lobito Atlantic Railway is aiming to roughly double the tonnage of copper and cobalt it carries in 2026, as weekly train frequency rises toward a longer-term capacity target of 4.6 million tonnes a year.
The DRC said it expects no major disruption to copper and cobalt production despite Middle East supply-chain pressure, reporting first-quarter copper exports of 824,000 tonnes.
Workers at CMOC's Tenke Fungurume copper-cobalt mine returned to work after the company threatened dismissal over a strike sparked by a disputed labour agreement.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt agreed on 7 May 2026 to acquire Atlantic Lithium for about $210m in cash, months after Atlantic Lithium's board rejected an earlier takeover proposal it judged undervalued its Ewoyaa project in Ghana.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt has exported the first consignment of lithium sulphate produced in Africa from its Arcadia operation in Zimbabwe, a milestone for the country's beneficiation drive.
Flooding in western Angola suspended rail traffic on the Lobito Corridor, disrupting a key export route for copper and cobalt from the DRC to the Atlantic port of Lobito.
An investigation linked pollution and community health risks near CMOC's Tenke Fungurume copper-cobalt mine to cobalt entering the supply chains of major automakers.
DRC president Felix Tshisekedi replaced the chairman and CEO of state mining company Gécamines, which holds stakes in copper and cobalt operations run by Glencore, CMOC and ERG.
Glencore signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on 3 February 2026 with the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium covering a proposed 40% stake in its Mutanda and Kamoto copper-cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The US Defense Logistics Agency cancelled a tender for up to 7,500 tonnes of cobalt worth as much as $500m, its first attempt to buy the metal since 1990, citing unresolved issues with the contract's terms.
The Democratic Republic of Congo formally lifted its cobalt export ban on 16 October 2025, moving to a quota system after eight months of suspension that had roiled global battery-metal markets.
As the DRC's quota system approached, Chinese cobalt refiners began dissolving cobalt metal into sulphate instead of using scarce hydroxide feedstock, even though the process is slower and less efficient.
An industry opinion piece published as the DRC's cobalt quota system took shape argued that South Africa's own critical minerals strategy should introduce a 'balanced export strategy' limiting unprocessed cobalt exports.
Congo's regulator announced on 22 September 2025 that cobalt exports would be capped at 96,600 tonnes a year in 2026 and 2027, with 18,125 tonnes permitted for the rest of 2025.
Glencore began exploring the sale of a majority stake in its Kamoto Copper Company operation in the DRC, holding talks with Orion Resource Partners amid the prolonged cobalt export suspension.
A legal analysis published in August 2025 argued that ARECOMS lacked the statutory authority under DRC's Mining Code to suspend cobalt exports, exposing the state to potential liability claims.
Managem is building a $100m cobalt-sulphate refinery near Marrakech to process material from its century-old Bou Azzer mine, positioning Morocco as an alternative cobalt source to the DRC.
The Democratic Republic of Congo extended its cobalt export suspension for a further three months on 21 June 2025, saying stockpiles remained too high to justify reopening trade.
Uganda signed its first-ever mineral production-sharing agreement to redevelop the Kilembe copper-cobalt mine, handing development rights to Sarrai Group and Nile Fibreboard after a 14-firm tender process.
Days after ARECOMS suspended cobalt exports, Congolese senators, a former mines minister and mining companies warned of lost revenue, while civil society groups praised the move to support prices.
Eurasian Resources Group's newly appointed chief executive Shukhrat Ibragimov has begun seeking Chinese investment to support the Kazakh miner's copper and cobalt operations in the DRC.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's mining regulator ordered a surprise four-month suspension of cobalt exports on 22 February 2025, aiming to drain a global surplus and lift crashed prices.
