The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have inked a mining contract, forming a joint venture to extract 3Ts minerals (Tantalum or Coltan, tungsten, and Tin) in the Kivu region of the DRC’s eastern territory.
President Félix Tshisekedi oversaw the signing ceremony on Monday, which involved the state-owned company Société aurifère du Kivu et du Maniema (Sakima SA) and Primera Mining, an Emirati company investing nearly $2 billion into the project.”
The Congolese President had earlier received a delegation from the United Arab Emirates led by Sheilk Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.
The partnership adds to existing UAE mineral explorations in South Kivu province through the firm Primera Gold.
“For me, it’s the love of the country and the Congolese people that comes first. Any project that comes along to transform the Congo will be welcomed,” said Tshisekedi.
The Congolese president expressed the hope that this new partnership would be the start of a transformation for the Congolese people, particularly those in the east of the country who need to benefit from the natural resources of their region.
Tshisekedi says he wants to create more business opportunities in the Kivu region in order to find an alternative to the activities of armed groups that roam the region, making it unsafe for the last three decades in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
In June 2021, Rwanda and the DRC signed a cooperation partnership for gold mining.
Initially, President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame declared their objective of “cutting off armed groups’ revenue from gold mining in eastern Congo.”
However, this collaboration between Sakima SA and Rwandan company Dither LTD was subsequently halted in May 2022 due to the resurgence of the M23 conflict, which the Kinshasa government alleges is backed by Rwanda.
