The Congolese government has injected over U$119million to intensify an ambitious minerals survey program, Taarifa Business Desk reliably reports.
The new survey has been called into action because of concerns that historical deposits in Katanga show signs of depletion.
Raoul Wazenga Vitima, the Director General of the Congolese National Geological Survey, on Mondaysaid,“In Katanga, we are seeing that the old mines are being depleted. Hence the need to continue research to discover new deposits so that the DRC can meet the major challenge of the energy transition.”
He added that the government seeks to discover new mineral deposits capable of supporting the global energy transition while creating jobs for local populations.
He said that the funding is solely provided by the government.
“We presented the projects that are under funding from the Congolese state, including the exploration project in the Katanga 1A block and the airborne geophysical project that will cover a large part of the national territory,” Raoul Wazenga Vitima said.
According to details under the new efforts will include; exploration of the Katanga 1A mining block allocated U$16,152,000 in funding for research and the identification of new mineral potential.
Government has also allocated U$183million for the second project which will involve a large-scale airborne geophysical survey extending from Katanga to Kongo-Central, passing through the Kasai region and Kwango province.
“The first Katanga 1A project is financed to the tune of U$16,152,000. This $16 million does not cover the airborne geophysical work,” he said.
The other is U$179,463,000 (which covers airborne geophysics, geology, mapping and geochemistry and drilling work).
In total, the two projects represent a public investment of U$199.152 million.
Vitima also revealed that the government remains open to international partnerships in the field of geological research.
With nearly U$200 million injected in research, the Congolese government intends to lay the foundations for a new generation of mining discoveries, capable of sustainably supporting national economic growth and the strategic positioning of the DRC in the global energy transition economy.
