DRC, Nigeria And Zimbabwe Advance Mineral Beneficiation

Mining Ministries from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) showcased measures driving beneficiation of mineral resources during the Ministerial Forum held today at African Mining Week 2025 in Cape Town.

Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines, DRC said the country is prioritizing the development of special economic zones as part of its value addition strategy.

“We have a one stop shop removing complications of fiscals and make it easier for industry participation to put capital and technology to drive the beneficiation agenda,” stated Kabamba.

The DRC is also investing in AI technology to maximize and simplify mineral exploration and production.

“We want to use advanced technology to unlock lithium potential. We are also second to Chile in copper production and we want to be first,” added Kabamba.

Winston Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Republic of Zimbabwe said the country will commission a new base metal refinery in the next two years.

He said the country holds the world’s second largest reserves of platinum and seeks to leverage its global market position to create employment and manufacturing industries locally.

Zimbabwe also has three industrial parks currently under development in Hwange, Beitbridge and outside Harare to value-add critical minerals, according to Minister Chitando.

“We want value addition making economic sense. Exporting ore all the way to the port and ship them to international does not make economic sense since we are a landlocked country,” added Chitando.

Yusuf Farouk Yabo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines of Nigeria highlighted efforts by the country to create a $1 billion economy by 2030.

“We need leadership, institutions and the right policies hence we are revamping the Mining Act of 2011 to ensure the needs of the private sector are catered for,” stated Yabo.

Nigeria is also investing in digitizing its mining processes, from data accessibility and mineral traceability.

“We want to ensure traceability from mining to monetization, with Nigerian minerals set to come from two sources: license holders or a seller and supplier buying from ASM players who are traced and formalized,” reiterated Yabo.