DRC Launches First Lithium Exports to China
Zijin, a Chinese mining company, has started exporting lithium concentrate from the Manono project in the DRC. The Manono Lithium Mine is one of the largest lithium pegmatite deposits in the world. The exports started in June 2026, one month after the project’s processing plant entered production, according to Business Insider Africa. The exports mark the first time that the Democratic Republic of Congo has exported lithium.
Congo exporting lithium for the first time
The shipments are currently travellng overland and by sea, with the material expected to reach Chinese refineries by October 2026. The Manono project is owned 54.9% by Zijin, whilst the state-owned miner Cominiere holds 35.1% and the Congolese government holds the remaining 10%, as per Business Insider Africa.
The site is known as one of the largest undeveloped hard-rock lithium resources in the world.
Congo Launching its first stock exchange
This news comes after Congo announced that it is set to launch its first stock exchange in 2027, which will include the Congolese franc and the US dollar.Â
Congo produces the largest amount of copper in Africa, accounts for 70% of the world’s mined cobalt, and has the highest-grade hard-rock lithium deposits. All minerals are essential for AI infrastructure. Consequently, the International Monetary Fund predicts that Congo’s minerals could place the country’s economy as the fifth-largest in Africa.
Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba Likunde Li-Botayi told Bloomberg News that the new exchange will allow the country to benefit from the growing demand for crucial minerals that will fuel the AI revolution.
Image: MiningWatch Portugal
