• New export rules fail to resolve key concerns, keeping cobalt shipments stalled.

• Producers say quotas, royalty rules and procedures remain unclear or unworkable.

• Industry urges urgent clarification as prices surge and global supply stays tight.

Cobalt exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo are yet to resume, even after the government issued an inter-ministerial circular on December 2 outlining procedures to restart shipments. Authorities had described the circular as the final administrative step following the October 15 lifting of a nine-month export embargo. However, companies say the new system is too complex and unclear to allow trade to resume.

In a letter sent on December 4 to Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba, the Mines Chamber of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC) warned that producers face “serious difficulties applying the quotas assigned to them.” The Chamber argues that the procedures introduced in the circular fail to address exporters’ main concerns and instead create fresh obstacles.

One major issue concerns the strategic quota for 2026, set at 9,600 tons plus any unused allocations from companies. Although the measure is presented as a tool to strengthen state oversight and finance national projects, producers say the criteria for distributing the quota remain unclear. Without transparent rules, companies fear inconsistency and delays.

The Chamber also rejects a new requirement that royalties be paid up front before any shipment is approved. According to the organisation, this contradicts the Mining Code, its implementing regulations and the ordinance governing non-tax revenue. Companies warn that the measure creates legal uncertainty and could strain operational cash flow.

Another concern is the exclusion of several companies from the quota list despite their presence in previous registries. Producers say the criteria used—such as minimum production thresholds, deposit classification or operational history—provide no avenue for appeal and leave room for arbitrary decisions.

The industry is also troubled by the absence of a standardised methodology for calculating “cobalt metal content,” which is used to determine quotas. Without harmonised analytical standards, companies warn of discrepancies in laboratory results that could lead to disputes with regulators.

Finally, producers say the revised export process has become too cumbersome. New obligations—including a quota verification certificate, supervised sampling by multiple agencies, an Arecoms export certificate and cross-laboratory analyses—place the regulator at the centre of nearly every stage of the export chain. Companies fear that these overlapping controls could significantly slow shipments and increase the likelihood of blockages.

In its letter, the Chamber calls for rapid clarification to restore legal certainty, maintain steady exports and safeguard investor confidence. The organisation says it has repeatedly requested meetings with Arecoms without success and is now urging Minister Watum to convene a working session under the consultation mechanism created in October.

The stakes are high: the DRC accounts for more than 74 per cent of global cobalt production. Since the embargo was imposed in February, cobalt prices have surged by around 110 per cent, reaching $52,220 per ton on the London Metal Exchange. With exports still frozen, markets are watching closely for signs that Congo’s regulatory framework will be made workable.

Idriss Linge, With Bankable Africa