Zambia's Minister of Minesenters the already packed conference hall. He has made it to Kinshasa, the capital ofthe neighboringDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in time for the panel discussion. It is not too late for his message either. Contact online >>
Zambia''s Minister of Minesenters the already packed conference hall. He has made it to Kinshasa, the capital ofthe neighboringDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in time for the panel discussion. It is not too late for his message either.
A new "scramble for Africa" is unfolding he says. The phrase hearkens backto the colonial period when European nations divided the African continent among themselves. Today, various companies and countries are signing treaties and partnerships with the continent, Kabuswe says. "And it is high time Africans startednegotiatingproperly."
Today, Congo accounts for about two-thirds of global cobalt production. The metal is exported largely unprocessed and used primarily in batteries. Zambia also produces cobalt, which is important for the energy transition.
In November 2021, the heads of state of the two countries signaled their intention to process the raw materials locally. As a first step, they want to set up a special economic zone where the raw material is turned into preliminary products for the battery supply chain.
"The DRC has set a goal to become one of the world''s largest battery producers around 2030 or 2040," he says.At the conference, there is also talk of Congo as a future producer of e-cars.
Stakeholders from theindustrialized countries areclosely following as Congo triesto challenge the business model of exporting raw materials. On the podium of the Battery Metals Forum sitsthe ambassador of the United States, which has already issued a declaration of intent to support the special economic zone. A representative of the European Union, as well as Canadian and Chinese business leaders,are also talking part.
Extracting raw materialsis one thing, but refining them is much more difficult. Marie-Chantal Kaninda, the country manager of Glencore, a Swiss commodities giant, can tell you about this. The company mines cobalt in southern Congo. Metals could also be produced from it, she says.
In addition to cobalt, lithium, nickel and manganese are also requiredfor the production of basic batteries. And the primary product that Congo has in mind already contains all of these raw materials. Resources are available in the country, but theyare not currently being mined.
This means that other countries wouldhave to supply the planned special economic zone for the time being. The BloombergNEF research organizationlists African countries such as Gabon, Madagascar and Zimbabwe in this regard.
According to a publication by the institute, building a plant in Congo to produce the precursor for a battery could cost only a third of an equivalent plant in China or the US. Compared to Poland, the cost is just under two-thirds. A pre-feasibility study for the project has been commissioned.
There''s a lack of specialized workers, the necessary infrastructure for the transport of the raw materials —especially the electricity for large production plants, he says.
"It needs a really strong political will and high-level organizational skills," says Okenda, who advocates for local value creation and realistic implementation.
Against this backdrop, many companies want to wait and see what the Congolese government and its partners actually deliver. Specialized mining companies will hardly be able to get involved in further processing anyway. The most promising candidates therefore come from China, which already dominates the battery supply chain.
For one thing, local processing of raw materials helps us to reduce logistics costs," he says, adding that the company''s goal is to promote industrial development in the Congo.
The Congolese Battery Council (CCB), a structure which manages the major pan-African project for the electric battery industry, presented its vision for almost a year on Monday, December 11, 2023 at the Hilton hotel in Kinshasa. after its creation in the presence of sector experts, representatives of government members, investors and others. Created on December 6, 2022, the CCB''s mission is to identify partnerships to attract investors, to promote
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