Africa’s Resource Rich DRC Set for Mining Investment

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) The development of iron ore reserves in The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the first projects to be identified in the government’s strategy of the Central African country to revivify and exploit a range of mineral resources of which the value was obscured by years of civil war raging back and forth across the country from the Atlantic coast to the African interior.

Minister of Mines, Martin Kabwelulu, said that the aim is not only to revive the traditional copper sector but to diversify by exploiting major iron and bauxite deposits. Iron ore resource reserves are estimated at 4 billion tons and alumina at 1 billion tons. The newfound peaceful and stable conditions in the country have encouraged mining investors back to enter the copper and cobalt sectors where Angola was once a major global player. The government is also looking to start greenfield strategies for iron ore, chromium, nickel and aluminum.

Surveys are ongoing to estimate the size of the nickel and chromium reserves in the country. The iron ore reserves in the northeast hold an average metal content of 60%. Kabwelulu said that base metal ore deposits have been discovered in border regions of the DRC’s nine neighboring countries and that common exploitation projects are to be designed. The DRC will develop four main corridors for the transport of mining products as well as integrated mining projects with neighboring countries.

To backup the mining and minerals development, the DRC has gone into a partnership with South Africa’s Mintek (Johannesburg) research institute to assist in the establishment of research centers in the DRC. Mintek has developed a number of state-of-the-art techniques and technologies for use in the mining and minerals industry.

Bauxite deposits are situated near Inga with good access to the coast and possibly adequate electrical power supplies which the Inga hydropower scheme could provide if major expansion plans come to fruition. The potential alumina reserves hold an average 39% metal content. Kabwelulu said that to benefit from the reserves, smelters and a deep sea port must be built.

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