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Félix Tshisekedi calls on the government to redefine the strategic mineral supply chain and awaits an action plan from the supervisory ministry

Faced with the global demand for minerals at the heart of the challenges of ecological transition, the President of the Republic Félix Tshisekedi, at the 37th meeting of the Council of Ministers, called for a redefinition of the supply chain of lithium, cobalt, coltan to which it is appropriate to add copper because of their worldwide demand with regard to their industrial application.

To this end, Tshisekedi instructed, under the coordination of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Mines and all the government structures involved to present within a fortnight an operational action plan allowing the acceleration of initiatives for the development of strategic mining resources and the development of local processing chains.

"He (President of the Republic) asked that a certain number of projects benefit from sustained attention and follow-up.

These include the development of the lithium sector in the province of Tanganyika in the following the resolutions taken at the last DRC AFRICA BUSINESS FORUM, in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, it is necessary to ensure the strengthening of the industrial copper-cobalt sector on the one hand and the sanitation and development of the cupro sector artisanal cobaltiferous on the other hand", said Félix Tshisekedi in the minutes of the meeting of Friday January 21, 2022.

And to add:

"The President of the Republic insisted that the Minister of Mines provide a special framework for the actions of the provincial government of Lualaba in the case of the Munsoko trading center project, which must be operational urgently in order to ensure traceability and to guarantee the socio-environmental conditions of artisanal production, a guarantee of direct access to the supply market for large global companies in the automotive, electronics and energy sectors in particular".

In his speech at the Business Forum Africa last year, Felix Tshisekedi invited his African counterparts to build together this industry which offers several opportunities including improving the rate of electricity supply and industrialization.

"I would like to invite my African counterparts to seize the opportunity that our continent has, to jointly build the electric battery industry whose vehicle market represents USD 8.8 billion by 2025 and USD 46 trillion in 2050.

This opportunity is to be seized to drive out darkness in Africa with the batteries of the future which will make it possible to store up to 500 megawatts and thus improve the rate of supply of electricity necessary for industrialization and domestic comfort”, launched Felix Tshisekedi.

He recalled that the Industrialization Master Plan (PDI) creates a new industrialization paradigm, clearly highlighting the value chain approach in a systemic combination of diversified, balanced, sustainable and resilient production.

Clement Muamba




How metals prices performed in 2021

Looking back on what gave investors strong returns in 2021, it was the year of industrial and energy metals.

As demand for industrial goods surged, so too did their material metals. But unlike energy prices which rose across the board last year, not all metals managed positive returns.




This infographic looks at the year-over-year return on metals prices from January 1 to December 31 of 2021, using pricing data tracked by Tradingeconomics.com.

Inflation and Raw Material Demand Spur Industrial Metals

Last year saw inflation hit 30-year highs as the world’s reopening resulted in unprecedented demand for base and energy metals.

Essential materials for electric vehicle (EV) battery production like lithium and cobalt were among the top performers as EV sales continued to grow in 2021.

Magnesium was another top performer last year, as skyrocketing coal prices impacted the metal, which uses coal as part of the feedstock in the smelting process.

In addition, concerns over production suspensions in China for environmental reasons spurred magnesium prices further amidst potential shortage fears.

Iron ore was the only base metal with negative returns, with demand largely curbed by China’s slowing growth and pledge to reduce steel output in May of last year.

Lithium and Other EV Metals Outperform

Last year saw major automakers like Ford and GM commit themselves to all new car sales being zero emission by 2040, spurring an 80% rise in electric vehicle sales in 2021.

As a result, essential battery metals like lithium, cobalt, lead, and nickel were all in high demand as automakers secured these essential materials for their battery production.

The start of 2022 has also seen more positive catalysts for nickel specifically, as Tesla secured a supply deal with Talon Metals for 75,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate over six years.