Democratic Republic of the Congo

Reuters reported that the government is preparing a one-stop agency for large mining investments as part of reforms linked to the US–DRC minerals partnership. It would handle registration, licensing, tax and compliance, which today can take several months. The agency would be open to Chinese, US, European and other investors, but the law creating it has not yet been promulgated. Entrants should treat faster approvals as a possibility, not a certainty.

Reuters via CNBC Africa · 2026-09-22

On 11 August ARECOMS, the strategic-minerals regulator, said it will keep the 2026–2027 cobalt export quotas unchanged for now despite falling prices, but could cut them if the market moves further out of balance. National exports stay capped at 96,600 tonnes a year (87,000 t allocated to producers plus a 9,600 t strategic pool), so buyers and new producers face both a hard volume limit and the risk the rules change.

Fastmarkets · 2026-08-11

Glencore's DRC mines are shifting toward copper under the quota system: Q1 2026 cobalt output fell 39% while copper rose 19%. The company is also storing above-quota cobalt in the country. For entrants this means cobalt-focused business plans have to assume they cannot export everything they produce, and that copper is now the main growth commodity.

Energy News Network · 2026-09-10

On 17 July the Banque Centrale du Congo cut its policy rate from 13.5% to 12.5% and its marginal lending rate from 17.5% to 16.5%, the fourth cut of 2026. It pointed to slowing inflation, a less volatile franc and what it considers comfortable reserves, so local-currency borrowing is getting cheaper but real rates are still high.

Capmad / Banque Centrale du Congo communiqué · 2026-07-17

At the end of the period the central bank's own indicators showed annual inflation of about 3.7% and the franc at about CDF 2,266 per US dollar. Prices and the exchange rate are now much more stable than in 2023–24, which reduces currency risk for firms pricing and paying wages in francs. Note: our database's inflation reference figure dates from 2016 and should not be used.

Banque Centrale du Congo · 2026-10-10

On 23 August Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 alliance agreed a roadmap that sets out the steps and timelines for negotiations under the November 2025 Doha framework, and a ceasefire verification mission was sent to Minembwe in South Kivu. Fighting and drone strikes continued as the roadmap was announced, so the deal does not yet make it safe to operate in the Kivus.

Al Jazeera · 2026-08-23

At a UN Security Council meeting on 29 September, members noted that clashes between government forces and M23 continue despite the December 2025 Washington Accords with Rwanda, and that tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali are rising. Logistics, staff security and insurance in the eastern provinces are still severely affected, while western and southern operations, including the Katanga copper belt, are not directly exposed.

UN News · 2026-09-29

The UN says DRC is in its worst Ebola outbreak on record, with more than 3,900 deaths. Entrants should expect disruption to staff travel, health screening at borders and public spending pressures, and should include the outbreak in duty-of-care and business-continuity plans.

UN News · 2026-09-29