An open-pit copper-cobalt operation and processing complex in the DRC’s Copperbelt.
By Penny Langford
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has prohibited the export of copper and cobalt concentrates with immediate effect, tightening a long-running policy designed to move more mineral processing inside the country.
The ban is set out in an interministerial order dated June 29 and was reported by Reuters on Aug. 6. The order was signed by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya and Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba.
For cobalt markets, the immediate effect is narrower than a full export embargo. The order targets concentrates rather than every cobalt-bearing product. Cobalt hydroxide and other products that have undergone additional processing are not directly covered by the concentrate prohibition, according to summaries of the order and industry responses.
Even so, the measure increases pressure on miners, refiners and off-takers that depend on Congolese concentrate flows. It also adds uncertainty to regional logistics networks linking mines in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga with processing facilities in the DRC, Zambia, Angola and South Africa.
What the order changes
The order states that “the export of copper and cobalt concentrates is prohibited.” It replaces an earlier framework dating from 2023 and removes the presumption that companies can routinely obtain exemptions.
The new system allows the mines minister to issue export waivers lasting for up to one year. Those exemptions may be granted where the characteristics of a processing route, or technical and economic factors, justify the export of a less-processed mineral product.
The criteria for receiving a waiver have not been published in a detailed, quantitative form. That leaves companies with a more discretionary approval process than under previous arrangements.
The prohibition applies immediately, while a separate tax regime covering economically valuable by-products is subject to a three-month transition period, according to reporting on the order.
The policy objective is straightforward: require producers to market or export higher-value products and retain more of the smelting, refining and revenue-generating activity within the DRC.
Industrial equipment used to upgrade copper-cobalt ore before further refining.
Why cobalt is central to the policy
The DRC remains the dominant source of mined cobalt. The Cobalt Institute’s Cobalt Market Report 2025 estimated global mined cobalt supply at 270,000 tonnes in 2025 and placed the DRC’s share at 73%.
That concentration gives Kinshasa considerable influence over the upstream cobalt market, even though much of the country’s downstream refining capacity is located elsewhere. Cobalt-bearing material produced in the DRC is commonly upgraded into intermediate products such as cobalt hydroxide before being shipped to refiners, particularly in China.
The distinction between concentrate and hydroxide is therefore important.
A concentrate is an early-stage product produced by separating valuable minerals from mined ore. Hydroxide is a more processed intermediate that can be fed into chemical refining and the production of cobalt compounds used in batteries, superalloys and other industrial applications.
The latest order does not automatically stop exports of all cobalt hydroxide. It instead affects producers and trading chains that still rely on exporting copper-cobalt concentrates, including material that may otherwise have been sent to overseas smelters for additional processing.
That means the initial impact is likely to be concentrated among specific operations and contracts rather than spread evenly across all Congolese cobalt exports.
Miners face a three-way choice
Companies affected by the order now have three broad options.
They can apply for a one-year waiver, build or secure access to domestic processing capacity, or reduce and redirect production until a compliant route is available.
For large integrated operators, the policy may accelerate investment in captive smelters, toll-processing arrangements and upgraded facilities. Smaller producers and operators with limited capital could face a more difficult adjustment, particularly where their mine plans were built around exporting concentrate to a foreign buyer.
Domestic processing capacity is expanding, but it is not uniform across the country or across commodities. Some operators already process copper concentrate in the DRC, while others depend on regional or overseas facilities for particular feed types, grades or impurity profiles.
The commercial question is not only whether a smelter exists. It is whether that facility can accept the material at the required scale, recover both copper and cobalt efficiently, meet contractual specifications and operate reliably enough to support continuous mine production.
A waiver system may therefore become a key part of companies’ short-term operating plans. But the removal of automatic or routine exemptions raises the regulatory risk attached to that option.
Refineries and off-takers may need alternative feed
The ban also shifts risk downstream.
Smelters outside the DRC that purchase Congolese copper-cobalt concentrates may face tighter feedstock availability. They could seek replacement material from Zambia, Peru, Chile, Indonesia or other producing regions, although the suitability of those sources will depend on mineralogy, treatment charges, impurities and transport costs.
Copper smelters are already operating in a difficult feed environment. A reduction in available Congolese concentrate could increase competition for alternative units and complicate contract negotiations between miners, smelters and traders.
For cobalt refiners, the outcome depends on how much material affected by the order would otherwise have entered the international market as concentrate rather than as hydroxide or another intermediate product. If producers can redirect the material through domestic facilities, the policy may change the location of processing without causing a similar reduction in final cobalt chemicals.
If domestic capacity cannot absorb the material quickly, the adjustment could be more disruptive. Inventories may build at mine sites, shipments may be delayed, and off-takers may need to renegotiate delivery schedules or seek temporary waivers.
Mine roads and processing infrastructure form part of the regional copper-cobalt supply chain.
The regional logistics effect
Copper and cobalt supply from the DRC is connected to a network of roads, border crossings, rail lines, warehouses and processing plants across southern Africa.
Concentrate that cannot be exported directly may need to be processed inside the DRC before moving onward as cathode, hydroxide or another permitted product. That changes the logistics profile of the material.
Higher-value processed products may require different storage, handling and documentation. Domestic plants could need additional reagents, power, maintenance capacity and transport availability. Border and customs systems may also face a higher burden as authorities distinguish among ore, concentrate, hydroxide, cathode and by-products.
The policy could strengthen the position of domestic smelters and refiners if they can offer reliable capacity. It could also increase congestion and costs if processing bottlenecks emerge faster than new capacity is commissioned.
For off-takers, the key issue is visibility. A one-year waiver can support a defined shipment program, but a discretionary renewal process makes longer-term planning more difficult. Buyers may respond by increasing inventory buffers, diversifying suppliers or incorporating more detailed regulatory provisions into contracts.
A stricter phase of an existing policy
The DRC has sought to restrict concentrate exports for more than a decade. A 2013 ban was introduced to encourage domestic processing, although companies subsequently received waivers and other accommodations.
In 2021, the government again moved to restrict copper and cobalt concentrate exports. Some operators continued shipping under derogations, allowing established supply chains to function despite the formal prohibition.
Ivanhoe Mines said in a company clarification issued Aug. 6 that a ban on exporting unbeneficiated concentrate had been in place and enforced in the DRC for close to 10 years. The company said its Kamoa-Kakula copper concentrates are currently smelted either at the operation’s on-site facility or at the Lualaba Copper Smelter in Kolwezi.
That response illustrates the distinction between a formal ban and the practical operation of the market. The new order does not introduce the domestic-processing objective for the first time. It signals that the government intends to enforce it through a more centralized and discretionary waiver regime.
Market snapshot
| Indicator | Current position | Relevance to the ban |
|---|---|---|
| DRC share of global mined cobalt supply in 2025 | 73% | Shows why any change to Congolese export policy matters to refiners and battery supply chains |
| Global mined cobalt supply in 2025 | 270,000 tonnes | Benchmark cited by the Cobalt Institute |
| Export restriction | Copper and cobalt concentrates | Does not automatically cover all hydroxide, cathode or other processed products |
| Maximum waiver period | One year | Creates a shorter regulatory horizon for affected producers and buyers |
| Domestic-processing objective | Higher-value products and greater local value retention | Supports investment in smelting, refining and by-product recovery |
Sources: Cobalt Institute; Reuters reporting on the June 29 interministerial order; Ivanhoe Mines’ Aug. 6 clarification.
What to watch next
The impact on cobalt supply will depend on four developments.
First, the mines ministry will need to clarify how it will assess waiver applications. Transparent criteria would help companies and buyers distinguish between temporary exceptions and a permanent shift toward domestic processing.
Second, operators will need to disclose how much of their production is affected by the concentrate restriction and what processing alternatives are available. Mine-level exposure is likely to vary considerably.
Third, refiners and off-takers will watch whether domestic facilities can absorb additional feed without reducing recovery rates or disrupting existing production. Any bottleneck would be reflected first in shipment timing and regional inventories.
Finally, the market will assess whether the order remains limited to concentrates or becomes part of a broader effort to control cobalt export volumes and by-products. The DRC has already used quotas and other measures to manage cobalt flows, so the interaction between the concentrate ban, export permissions and quota administration will be significant.
For now, the order does not remove Congolese cobalt from global supply. It changes the conditions under which that cobalt can reach refiners. The immediate risk is therefore less a sudden loss of all DRC production than a more regulated, less flexible and potentially more domestically focused supply chain.
Related reading: Cobalt supply-chain concentration and critical-minerals risk · Copper price outlook and structural market drivers · Mining ESG compliance and data-quality requirements