The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched a nationwide airborne geological mapping programme designed to improve understanding of its mineral resources, reduce exploration risks and attract investment into regions that remain largely underexplored.
Known as PC2G-RDC, the programme will use high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys to examine the country’s subsurface and identify areas with potential mineral deposits.
The initiative is being coordinated by the National Geological Service of Congo (SGNC), with technical support from Spanish geophysics company Xcalibur.
The 36-month programme is expected to significantly expand the country’s geoscientific coverage, from 22.27% to 46.1%, according to Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba.
The surveys will initially target Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu and Greater Kasai, while building on geological work previously carried out in Greater Katanga.
The project comes as the DRC seeks to make better use of its vast mineral endowment while strengthening state control over geological information.
The country is the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s leading copper producer, but authorities say less than 10% of its territory has been thoroughly explored.
The airborne surveys are intended to provide more detailed information on geological formations beneath the surface, helping identify prospective areas before companies commit significant resources to ground exploration and drilling.
Officials say the resulting data will also modernise existing geological datasets and strengthen the government’s ability to plan and negotiate future resource development.
The programme is also being linked to efforts to attract more foreign investment into the DRC’s mining industry. The country has become increasingly important in the global race for critical minerals, particularly cobalt and copper used in batteries, electronics and other high-technology industries.
International interest has increased as governments seek to diversify supplies of strategic minerals and reduce dependence on established supply chains.
The DRC government has simultaneously been seeking greater participation in mining revenues and stronger control over the geological information that underpins future discoveries.
The new mapping initiative is therefore intended not only to assist private exploration but also to strengthen the state’s knowledge of its own mineral territory.
SGNC Director General Raoul Wazenga Vitima said the programme was closely tied to national sovereignty and the country’s ability to manage its natural resources.
“The sovereignty does not begin when a mineral is extracted. It begins when the state knows its territory, owns its maps, controls its data, preserves its samples, develops its laboratories and trains the experts capable of interpreting that information,” Wazenga Vitima said.
“Congo should not only be better mapped; it should increasingly be capable of mapping itself,” he added.
The mapping effort is being carried out against a backdrop of strong international competition for access to the DRC’s critical minerals.
China has invested heavily in the country’s mining sector since the 2000s and is estimated to control a large share of its copper and cobalt market, while the United States has sought to deepen its engagement with Kinshasa over strategic mineral supplies.
The programme is expected to provide government agencies, researchers and mining companies with a broader and more detailed geological base for identifying potential mineral zones across areas that have received relatively limited exploration.
