The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is moving to strengthen state control over the geological data underpinning billions of dollars in mining exploration, potentially giving the government greater influence over the development of future mineral discoveries.
The country is accelerating geological mapping, airborne surveys and the digitisation of historical records as it works to establish a comprehensive national geological databank covering its critical mineral resources. Officials say the initiative is intended to reduce exploration risks and improve understanding of the country’s largely unexplored mineral potential.
The move could further strengthen Kinshasa’s influence over the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s leading copper producer, according to officials and industry sources.
Building a National Geological Database
A nationwide geological mapping programme has gained momentum this year following the launch in January of a $180-million contract with Spain-based Xcalibur, a global geodata mapping company.
Raoul Wazenga Vitima, director general of the National Geological Survey of Congo (SGNC), said the project forms part of several geological mapping programmes being carried out across the country.
The programmes are being financed through government funding, mining revenues and international partnerships. Their findings will be incorporated into a national geological databank that is expected to become fully operational by the end of 2026.
Unlike major mining jurisdictions such as Australia, however, the DRC plans to retain state control over access to the database and charge fees for certain information.
Vitima said requests for access would be assessed according to investor requirements as well as the protection of the country’s “strategic interests”.
“The data generated under these programmes constitute a strategic asset of the Congolese state.”
Tiered Access System
Despite possessing some of the world’s richest deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, tantalum and gold, the DRC remains one of the least-explored major mining jurisdictions.
The SGNC estimates that systematic geological exploration has covered only around 20% of the country.
The Xcalibur programme covers more than 700,000 square kilometres and uses airborne geophysical surveys, digitised historical information and advanced analytics to identify exploration targets across previously underexplored areas.
The company did not respond to requests for comment.
Exploration expenditure increased sharply following the end of the DRC’s 1998–2003 civil war. According to S&P data, spending increased from $57 million in 2005 to a record $389.2 million in 2012.
In 2024, companies spent $130.7 million on exploration in the DRC, the highest amount recorded anywhere in Africa. However, exploration remains heavily concentrated in the copper-cobalt belt covering Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, while large parts of the country remain poorly mapped.
Under the planned databank, basic geological information will be available free of charge, while access to more sensitive datasets will require payment.
Vitima said revenue from selected geological data products could help finance further exploration and mapping. He did not disclose the proposed fee structure or specify which categories of data would be subject to charges.
US-China Competition
The initiative comes as the DRC finds itself at the centre of growing competition between the United States and China over critical mineral supply chains.
Both countries have entered into separate agreements with Kinshasa aimed at strengthening cooperation in the mining sector.
Vitima said the geological database was not intended to favour either country. Instead, he said the DRC wants to diversify its mining investor base while applying the same access rules to companies regardless of their country of origin.
Greater state control over geological information could nevertheless give Kinshasa more influence over where exploration capital is directed and which future deposits of copper, cobalt, germanium and other critical minerals are developed.
“Control of geological data is increasingly becoming a strategic policy tool,” said Mark Jessell, a geology and geophysics expert at the University of Western Australia.
“It affects not only what a country mines today, but what it may discover and develop tomorrow.”
According to the US Geological Survey, the DRC’s cobalt reserves increased by more than 76% between 2000 and 2025 to an estimated 6 million tonnes, representing more than half of known global reserves. The increase reflects expanding exploration and improved estimates of the country’s extensive Copperbelt resources.
Jean Jacques Kayembe Mufwankolo, head of the Norway-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in the DRC, said a transparent system based on objective criteria could reduce the informational advantage of companies already operating in the country.
He added that greater transparency could attract a wider range of investors while strengthening the DRC’s negotiating position.
Protecting Strategic Interests
Moise Liboto Makuta, head of the Natural Resource Governance Institute’s extractives policy work in the DRC, said comprehensive geological information would allow the government to negotiate from a position of knowledge rather than uncertainty.
“Better negotiated deals mean more revenue reaching the public purse, not just the company and a few well-placed officials,” he said.
The Xcalibur mapping programme is structured as a three-year contract. The DRC is also working with France’s BRGM geological survey, South Africa’s Council for Geoscience, US-based KoBold Metals and Atlas Park, according to Vitima.
The country also has geological and mineral-sector partnerships with Japan’s Solafune and Belgium’s AfricaMuseum.
Growing Focus on Supply Chain Control
The DRC is not alone in seeking greater control over geological information.
Canada and Saudi Arabia are also moving towards consolidating geological data, reflecting a broader trend in which governments increasingly view mineral intelligence as strategic national infrastructure.
Vitima said Saudi Arabia was also using Xcalibur for national geological mapping. The DRC is sharing its experience in geological surveying and critical minerals with Riyadh as Saudi Arabia works to diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons and expand its mining sector.
Unlike export restrictions, geological data can influence future mineral supply by determining where exploration companies choose to invest.
“Whoever controls the best information often influences where exploration capital flows next,” said Grant Sanden, chief executive of Canada-based mining technology company GeologicAI.
A 2015 study in Western Australia found that every A$1 million invested in government geoscience generated an additional A$19.8 million in private exploration expenditure.
From Mineral Exports to Geological Intelligence
The DRC has already demonstrated its ability to influence global mineral markets through government intervention.
A cobalt export ban introduced in February 2025, when prices had fallen to around $10 per pound, or approximately $22,046 per tonne, was later followed by a quota system. The measures helped move the cobalt market from surplus into deficit and contributed to prices rising to around $26 per pound.
Some analysts and mining executives believe that government control over geological intelligence could ultimately have an even greater long-term impact.
“The problem is rarely whether minerals exist,” said Gary Agnew, chief executive of Canadian mining technology company Ideon Technologies.
“The challenge is how quickly deposits can be understood, financed and developed. Better geological information helps compress that timeline.”
Calls for Greater Transparency
Some industry participants are advocating for a more open approach, arguing that public access to geological information can support transparency and encourage investment.
California-based exploration company KoBold Metals says it has made more than 260,000 pages of historical geological records from the DRC publicly available.
In neighbouring Zambia, the company helped make approximately 150,000 geological records available through a government fee-based portal. Similar fee-based systems are also used in countries including Tanzania and South Africa, according to Vitima.
“Our objective is to have open data for explorers and researchers,” said Benjamin Katabuka, KoBold’s head of operations in the DRC.
Major mining jurisdictions including Australia, Canada and the UK provide largely free online access to extensive geological databases.
Vitima argued that these established mining countries generated much of their geological information decades ago and have already benefited commercially from it.
The DRC, by contrast, is still building its geological knowledge base and therefore views the information as a strategic national asset. The government believes fees for selected datasets can help fund continued geological exploration.
For Makuta of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the success of the DRC’s system will ultimately depend on how fairly and transparently the government manages access.
The key test, he said, will be whether geological data is released according to clear and open rules rather than allowing insiders to gain early access.
