CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been confirmed as a speaker for the upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) conference – Africa’s premier gathering for mining stakeholders, taking place on October 1–3, 2025, in Cape Town.
Minister Kabamba will participate in the Ministerial Forum alongside his counterparts from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Sudan, where discussions will focus on policies advancing mineral beneficiation and value addition across the continent.
AMW 2025 is a strategic platform where Minister Kabamba will promote the DRC’s estimated $20 trillion in untapped mining opportunities to global investors. The event provides an ideal platform to outline regulatory reforms aimed at creating a more favorable investment climate while showcasing the DRC’s vital role in global commodities markets. Accounting for more than 70% of the world’s cobalt supply – a critical mineral for clean energy technologies – the DRC is crucial to global supply chain resilience and industrial growth.
The Minister’s participation comes at a pivotal time, as international mining majors expand their presence in the DRC through new projects and partnerships. A September 2025 mining cooperation agreement signed between Kazakhstan and the DRC has attracted fresh investment from Eurasian Resources Group to advance the Kalukundi copper-cobalt mine. In June 2025, UAE-based International Resources Holding acquired a 56% stake in Alphamin Resources – operator of the Bisie tin mine, one of the world’s largest producers – in a $367 million deal. U.S. startup Kobold Metals has also secured rights to explore the Manono lithium deposit, one of the world’s largest untapped lithium reserves. Meanwhile, Ivanhoe Mines is investing $1.67 billion to expand production at the Kamoa-Kakula and Kipushi projects, with copper output set to rise from 240,000 tons in 2025 to 250,000 tons in 2026.
Against this backdrop of strong investor sentiment, rising capital commitments and an accelerating project pipeline, AMW 2025 provides a timely opportunity for Minister Kabamba to update international stakeholders on the DRC’s mining sector, highlight priority projects and foster new partnerships that will shape the future of African mining.
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