Strategic minerals: Kinshasa in the fever of the DRC Africa
Scheduled for next September, the event should bring together hundreds of participants from several countries around the world to reflect on battery metals.
On this occasion, the Democratic Republic of Congo could present the terms of a Strategic Partnership Agreement concluded with the European Union.
On June 9, the Council of Ministers took the option of expanding the team of Congolese negotiators who are currently discussing with the European Union the forthcoming establishment of a protocol agreement for the value chain on strategic minerals.
The September 2023 deadline is also set for the success of this endeavor.
On this date, the capital should host an important forum dedicated to battery metals.
The country would like to take the opportunity to present the main lines.
In relation to this Congolese-European agreement, discussions began on the sidelines of the working visit of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, from March 3 to 5, 2023 in the DRC.
The Congolese Minister of Mines, Antoinette Kalambayi, who was part of the presidential delegation, and the EU European Commissioner in charge of the Internal Market discussed the conclusion of a partnership on the responsible value chain of strategic minerals.
At the time, the two parties had agreed to launch negotiations soon and set up a working group in order to achieve a partnership on the value chain of strategic minerals.
Kinshasa is moving up a gear by immersing itself in a cross-cutting approach in the discussions.
Indeed, the scope of the partnership sought with the EU requires the involvement of all the sectoral ministries concerned, including that of technical structures such as the Mining Governance Unit housed within the Presidential Council for Strategic Watch.
Responding to the instruction of the Head of State, the Congolese Government has set up a multisectoral and inclusive team to speak with European officials.
The clearly stated objective is to reach an agreement before September 2023.
Indeed, the choice of the deadline is not trivial.
There is also the holding of DRC Africa, a forum which this time will be devoted to battery metals.
This meeting offers an unprecedented opportunity for the country to show concrete progress.
It is a question of progressing towards a roadmap around projects for the transformation and recovery of critical minerals in the context of the ecological transition.
As a reminder, the country has taken a step forward in the execution of its electric battery manufacturing project by recently establishing a Congolese Battery Council.
This initiative has made it possible to set up a real administration for the manufacture of electric batteries in the DRC.
Its management committee will soon organize a visit to the various mines located in Haut-Katanga.
To succeed in this project, a fairly large storage of these so-called strategic minerals is needed.
And the country has significant quantities needed by the high-tech automobile industry.
We will come back to it.
mediacongo - 13.06.2023
