• KoBold launches $50 million lithium exploration in DR Congo
• Program covers 3,000+ km², using AI, drilling and surveys
• Initiative follows U.S.-DRC mining deal; targets major discoveries

U.S. mining company KoBold Metals has begun lithium exploration in the Democratic Republic of Congo, launching a $50 million campaign across its permits in Manono territory, Tanganyika province, the company said on Monday.

KoBold plans to explore 13 permits covering more than 3,000 square kilometers, with a target of 5,000 square kilometers by year-end. The program includes 30,000 kilometers of airborne survey lines, along with drilling and sampling. The investment will run through the first quarter of 2027, with $20 million already spent to acquire the permits.

In line with its strategy, KoBold will use artificial intelligence to help identify the most promising targets.

The move comes months after the United States and the DRC signed a mining cooperation agreement aimed at easing access for U.S. companies to the country’s mining sector. KoBold began building a presence in August, securing seven exploration permits in Manono, a strategic area hosting one of the world’s largest lithium deposits.

That deposit is the subject of a development project led by China’s Zijin Mining, amid an ongoing dispute with AVZ Minerals.

KoBold DRC managing director Benjamin Katabuka said the company was well positioned to operate at scale and accelerate the discovery of major deposits, adding that the DRC was emerging as one of the most important future sources of lithium globally.

The results of the campaign will be closely watched in the coming months. While new discoveries would support the company’s ambitions, developing a large-scale lithium mine will still require several years of investment. KoBold is also active in Zambia, where it discovered the Mingomba copper deposit.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou