Eramet and the Gabonese government have signed a memorandum of understanding setting out an industrial roadmap to process up to 700,000 tonnes of manganese ore a year in Gabon by 2031, ahead of a planned export ban.
Zimbabwe's Lithium Producers' Association has asked the government to push the concentrate export ban back to June 2027, saying most processing plants will not be ready by January.
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.
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.
