Mechanism
DRC's permit issuance to KoBold Metals follows a two-step process under the 2018 Mining Code (Loi n° 18/001):
1. Accord de principe (July 2025): The Ministry of Mines granted KoBold Metals a framework agreement authorising it to file for exploration permits covering strategic minerals (lithium, coltan, rare earths) across a ~1,600 km² footprint split between Tanganyika and Haut-Lomami provinces. The accord de principe committed KoBold to launching a large-scale exploration programme and an investment of several tens of millions of dollars, with an initial tranche already paid in mining title fees.
2. CAMI permit issuance (August 27, 2025): The Cadastre Minier formally issued seven exploration certificates (certificats de recherche): - Four permits in Manono territory, Tanganyika province — covering portions of the Roche Dure lithium-bearing pegmatite system, the world's largest known hard-rock lithium deposit (~400 Mt at ~1.4% Li₂O, per AVZ Minerals' 2022 drilling) - Three permits in Malemba Nkulu territory, Haut-Lomami province — lithium and coltan/tantalum targets
3. Official handover ceremony (September 3, 2025): Minister Watum Kabamba presided the formal handover of seven digitised certificates, with KoBold's CEO pledging direct contribution to DRC's socio-economic development. The ceremony was framed explicitly as part of the strategic partnership between Kinshasa and Washington on critical minerals.
Strategic context: Manono and the US-China competition
The Manono deposit in southern Tanganyika province sits at the epicentre of a years-long jurisdictional dispute:
- AVZ Minerals (ASX:AVZ): Australian junior that acquired 75% of Roche Dure through its DLC (Dathomir-La Cominière) JV. AVZ has filed ICSID arbitration claims after the DRC government revoked AVZ's project holding company registration in 2023, alleging the revocation was engineered to favour Chinese state-backed entities.
- Zijin Mining Group / La Cominière: Chinese major Zijin acquired a 15% stake in the Manono project from AVZ's former partner in 2022, positioning itself alongside the DRC state entity La Cominière. Zijin has continued exploration and development preparation despite the ongoing arbitration.
- KoBold Metals: By securing adjacent or overlapping exploration tenure via the CAMI permit process — a parallel track to the contested Roche Dure titles — KoBold positions itself as a US-backed alternative claimant, supported by the broader US-DRC strategic partnership architecture formalised in December 2025.
The DRC government's willingness to issue KoBold permits at Manono signals a deliberate policy of competitive permit pluralism: creating multiple Western/US-backed counterweights to Chinese mining dominance at the deposit, while the AVZ arbitration remains unresolved.
Downstream implications
- US critical-minerals supply-chain positioning: A producing Manono lithium mine could supply battery-grade spodumene at a scale sufficient to anchor a substantial share of US EV battery supply chains under IRA §45X domestic-content thresholds, provided the mine qualifies as non-FEOC (i.e., remains clear of Chinese ownership/operational control).
- Geopolitical choke-point risk: The three-way dispute (AVZ arbitration / Zijin incumbency / KoBold new entry) means that the timeline to production is highly uncertain; any of the three claimant tracks could be subject to further judicial or administrative action that delays mining for years.
- China countermeasure exposure: If KoBold begins development, China retains tools to complicate progress — including through its residual DRC mining relationships (CITIC, Zijin, CMOC) and through the DRC's continued dependency on Chinese processing infrastructure.
- REMX/LIT basket exposure: The Manono deposit's scale means that any news of production commencement would materially reprice global spodumene/lithium carbonate forwards; conversely, continued disputes act as a structural premium on hard-rock lithium equities outside the DRC.
Open questions
- Does KoBold's tenement overlap materially with the contested Roche Dure area held by AVZ/Dathcom? (Title boundary disclosure is incomplete in public sources)
- Will the DRC arbitral tribunal treat the KoBold permit issuance as relevant to AVZ's expropriation claim?
- What is KoBold's processing strategy — does it intend DRC-based spodumene-to-hydroxide conversion or export of spodumene concentrate to US/allied refiners?