MWE Correspondent
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched a renewed effort to recover valuable geological records held in Belgium, arguing that the archives could help uncover new deposits of some of the world’s most sought-after minerals.
DRC Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba recently met with Belgian and European Union officials to discuss plans to digitise the records and eventually transfer them to the Congolese government.
The archives, housed at the Royal Museum for Central Africa near Brussels, contain geological maps, exploration reports, aerial photographs, rock samples and other documents collected during Belgium’s colonial rule of the Congo between 1885 and 1960.
Congolese officials believe the records could play a key role in identifying new deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium and other critical minerals used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and advanced technologies.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines said the government is eager to move the project into the implementation phase, noting that large parts of the country remain unexplored from a geological perspective.
Following the discussions, both sides agreed to develop a joint roadmap for digitising and returning the records. A joint task force will also be established to oversee the implementation of the project.
Also. Read: Africa’s Minerals Are Changing Global Politics
According to the Ministry of Mines, recovering the archives is an important step toward strengthening the country’s geoscientific sovereignty while making its mining sector more competitive and attractive to investors.
The initiative comes as the DRC continues to tighten control over its vast mineral resources. In 2025, the government temporarily suspended cobalt exports after oversupply pushed global prices lower and reduced national revenues.
The suspension was later replaced by an export quota system, limiting cobalt exports to 96,600 tonnes annually during 2026 and 2027. The policy was introduced to stabilise prices, manage supply and increase the country’s influence over the global cobalt market.
Meanwhile, US-based exploration company KoBold Metals, backed by several high-profile investors, signed an agreement with the DRC in 2025 to help digitise the archives. However, the company has yet to gain access to the collection held in Belgium.
Belgian authorities maintain that the museum cannot grant exclusive access to millions of geological records to a foreign private company. Instead, the digitisation process is being carried out with European Union funding, with digital copies gradually being shared with the relevant Congolese authorities.
The project reflects a broader effort across Africa to modernise geological data, improve mineral exploration and attract greater investment into the continent’s mining sector, particularly as global demand for critical minerals continues to grow.
