DRC: EGC Seeks to Structure Artisanal Cobalt Around Traceability and Local Processing

On the sidelines of the Cobalt Institute’s annual congress, Éric Kalala, Director General of the Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), presented the public company’s strategy to regulate the Congolese artisanal cobalt sector.

In an interview with Mines.cd, he explained that EGC intends to strengthen traceability, improve working conditions for artisanal miners, and increase local added value around strategic minerals.

According to him, the Congolese legal framework grants EGC exclusive rights to purchase artisanal production of cobalt, coltan, and germanium. The stated objective is to better control commercialization while ensuring more stable remuneration for artisanal miners.

The Lobito Corridor Revives Exports

Among the advances highlighted is the resumption of exports through the Lobito Corridor. Éric Kalala said that cobalt shipments recently passed through this logistics route linking the DRC to the Atlantic Ocean via Angola, a first in several decades.

EGC says it has obtained quotas allocated by the Regulatory and Control Authority for Strategic Mineral Substances (ARISCOM), allowing the launch of the first purchasing and export operations for artisanal cobalt.

The public company also says it has already shipped cobalt to Asian and American partners as part of its strategy to integrate into international supply chains.

A Partnership with Trafigura for Refining

The Congolese delegation’s stay in Madrid was also marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Trafigura Evolution. This partnership aims in particular to develop cobalt processing and refining capacities.

According to Éric Kalala, this cooperation should also enable technological and academic exchanges, with training programs planned in collaboration with the University of Arizona in the United States.

Through this approach, EGC aims to strengthen local skills and promote the emergence of a Congolese industry for processing strategic minerals.

Convincing the International Market

Finally, the Entreprise Générale du Cobalt believes that international partners are gradually beginning to recognize the legitimacy of cobalt produced through Congolese artisanal mining.

For EGC, the challenge now is to turn artisanal cobalt into a better-regulated, traceable sector that complies with international standards, while increasing economic benefits for the DRC.

MB / Mines.cd

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