From raw ore to local transformation : Pathways for increased value addition

This White Paper proposes practical guidance for the local processing of mineral substances—one of the key pillars of the national strategy that could enable the DRC and its population to increase benefits from its supply chains.

The value of a mineral lies not only in its extraction, but also in its processing. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the world’s resource-rich countries. Its mineral wealth includes resources essential to the energy transition and to new technologies, such as lithium, cobalt, copper, coltan, and germanium. In 2024, the DRC was the world’s leading exporter of cobalt and the second-largest exporter of copper.

However, the benefits of these exports remain limited for the country, largely due to the partial processing of these minerals before export. For more than two decades, the DRC government has expressed ambitions to export minerals with the highest possible added value. While these ambitions appear in both legislation and policy statements, they continue to face significant obstacles.

Through this White Paper, Resource Matters conducted an in-depth analysis of the country’s various attempts at local mineral processing, the challenges encountered, and potential solutions to achieve effective local value addition. The analysis focuses on three minerals: copper, cobalt, and lithium.

Local processing to increase the value of exported minerals from the DRC must therefore be approached holistically across the entire mining value chain. Each stage of the chain must formally integrate requirements for local transformation.