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