DRC maps untapped mineral wealth in push to attract global investment

The Democratic Republic of Congo is expanding its search for minerals beyond its established mining heartland, launching a nationwide airborne geological mapping programme that could nearly double the country’s geoscientific coverage and help attract new exploration capital. 

The PC2G-RDC programme is designed to map the country’s subsurface using high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys, giving investors and authorities better information on where mineral deposits could lie across some of the DRC’s least-explored regions. 

The initiative will cover Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu and Greater Kasai, extending geological work already completed in Greater Katanga. Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba said the programme will increase the country’s geoscientific coverage from 22.27% to 46.1%.

Mining data expands beyond Katanga 

The scale of the programme highlights the gap between the DRC’s mineral reputation and the amount of its territory that has been systematically explored. Authorities estimate that less than 10% of the country has been thoroughly investigated, despite the DRC being the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s leading copper producer. 

The National Geological Service of Congo, or SGNC, is implementing the programme with technical support from Spanish geophysics company Xcalibur. 

By generating modern geological datasets, the surveys are expected to identify new prospective areas and reduce some of the uncertainty and risk that mining companies face before committing capital to exploration. 

However, airborne surveys will not confirm deposits on their own. Geological anomalies identified from the air will require follow-up ground exploration to establish whether mineralisation exists and determine its size and quality.

Government seeks a stronger investment position 

The expanded geological database is also part of Kinshasa’s broader effort to strengthen state control over information about the country’s mineral resources. 

Better geological intelligence could give the government a stronger scientific basis for planning resource development and negotiating future mining investments, while helping direct exploration toward regions beyond the established Copperbelt. 

SGNC Director General Raoul Wazenga Vitima said the programme would strengthen the country’s ability to generate and interpret its own geological information. It is also expected to support the development of local expertise, laboratories and scientific infrastructure. 

For the DRC, the objective extends beyond producing geological maps. By improving knowledge of its largely unexplored territory, the government is seeking to turn geological uncertainty into a clearer pipeline of exploration opportunities and position more of the country’s mineral wealth for investment.