Ministerial Decree #18/042 declaring cobalt, germanium and colombo-tantalite strategic mineral substances

Ministerial Decree #18/042 acknowledges the high demand around the world for materials in information and communication technologies, the military, and the renewable energy transition. In particular, it identifies cobalt, germanium, and columbite-tantalite ("coltan") as three strategic minerals for application in these fields. In so doing, this decree also acknowledges the fact that the Democratic Republic of Congo possesses vast quantities of the aforementioned minerals, and that the international economic community has a specific demand for these strategic minerals produced in the country.

Therefore, the Democratic Republic of Congo has deemed within their jurisdiction that these three minerals – cobalt, germanium, and coltan – be strategic minerals for the country. The conditions for access, exploration, and commercialisation of these minerals have therefore been declared to be legislated under a different framework established by the Ministries of Finance and Mining. Upon their recategorisation as “strategic minerals”, these three now fall into the framework of the Mining Code of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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