SEZs Support Mining Operations, Local Participation

The DRC - in partnership with multilateral finance institution the African Development Bank (AfDB) - completed the $140 million Maluku pilot SEZ in Kinshasa in November 2025. The SEZ features mining and manufacturing company Saphir Ceramics - whose 50,000 m³-per-day tile plant leverages domestic clay, feldspar and quartz -, driving the DRC’s mineral industrialization and manufacturing industry growth agenda. The SEZ also hosts Varun Beverages, a franchisee of beverage company Pepsi, which has generated more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. These facilities highlight the value of SEZs in integrating mining and manufacturing developments in the DRC, supporting broader job creation and local participation across the economy.

As the DRC’s Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba stated during African Mining Week (AMW) 2025, “Our beneficiation strategy ensures high returns through close proximity to resources, a dynamic young workforce, dedicated special economic zones and a strategic location.”

Refineries, Smelters Strengthen Mineral Development

The DRC is also reinforcing its local mineral processing agenda with the development of new refineries and smelters in partnership with global mining companies. Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines commissioned its 500,000-ton-per-annum copper smelter at Kamoa-Kakula in November 2025. Representing one of the largest copper smelters in Africa, the facility will produce 99.7% copper anodes.

Global mining company Eurasian Resources Group is also nearing completion of a hydrometallurgical plant in Lualaba Province, expected to deliver 40,000 tons of copper cathode and 7,000 tons of cobalt in its first phase, while local mining company Buenassa Resources is advancing the country’s first integrated copper-cobalt refinery. The $350 million project was launched following a June 2025 implementation agreement established with the government. The facility is designed to produce 30,000 tons of high-grade copper cathodes and 5,000 tons of battery-grade cobalt sulfate annually.

At the regional level, the DRC is advancing an integrated electric-vehicle battery value chain with Zambia and the European Union. In 2025, the project advanced with the progression of the Lobito Corridor – a regional corridor connecting the DRC, Angola and Zambia with global markets. The integrated value chain will also include European investments going towards the development of copper and cobalt production and local processing as well as in battery manufacturing facilities in Zambia and the DRC.

With the DRC’s mineral wealth estimated at $24 trillion and 90% of its mining resources still undeveloped, SEZs and local refineries are poised to play a pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of the mining industry by boosting mineral production, driving local value addition and enabling the export of higher-value products to global markets.

Stepping into this picture, AMW 2026 – taking place October 14–16, 2026 in Cape Town – will connect global investors with emerging opportunities within the DRC’s downstream sector as the country accelerates the rollout of SEZs and mineral processing infrastructure. AMW 2026 will feature high-level panel discussions and project showcases, providing an update on on-going and upcoming SEZs and refinery projects across the DRC.