Geneva, December 5. The Congolese mining giant Gécamines SA and the Swiss company Mercuria Energy Trading have formalized the creation of a joint venture aimed at transforming the marketing of copper, cobalt, and other strategic minerals from the mining industry in the DRC. This alliance marks a major step in the quest for transparency, valuation, and integration of Congolese production into global value chains. This partnership stems from a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the year.
At the heart of this collaboration, Gécamines now intends to set prices based on clear and competitive international indices, while taking back control of the marketing and valuation of its production. The joint venture offers it increased capacity to intervene in markets and better control its stakes, strengthening its position in the global mining ecosystem. With the logistical and commercial expertise of Mercuria, Gécamines will be able to direct its volumes towards strategic end markets, optimize the transport of copper and cobalt, and ensure outlets aligned with the long-term industrial objectives of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to our information, Mercuria will provide comprehensive technical support: access to markets, logistics, transaction management, as well as training for Gécamines teams in trading, risk management, and operational procedures. The goal is to equip the Congolese company with the necessary skills to become an autonomous and competitive player in international trading again.
The joint venture also benefits from structural support from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which has issued a letter of intent for an equity investment. This support confirms the strategic importance of the project for the resilience of global supply chains for critical minerals. In line with the envisaged investment, the joint venture will grant priority access rights to US end users, particularly in the energy, semiconductor, advanced technology, and defense sectors. A major advancement in securing increasingly valuable minerals on a global scale.
While the initial focus is on copper and cobalt, the joint venture will also aim to market other strategic minerals extracted in the DRC, such as germanium and gallium, which are essential for the production of semiconductors, photovoltaic panels, batteries, military technologies, and advanced electronic applications.
Mercuria also plans financing solutions, including pre-financing and acquisition financing, to improve Gécamines’ operational flexibility and accelerate market entry.
This initiative is part of Gécamines’ long-term strategy, which aims to regain a central role in the mining trade after several decades of decline. “This cooperation is an essential milestone in the evolution of Gécamines’ role in the international metals market,” explains Placide Nkala, the company’s CEO. The chairman of the board, Guy Robert Lukama, emphasizes that this partnership will direct investments towards strategic end markets, in line with a vision of sustainable and inclusive growth.
On Mercuria’s side, Kostas Bintas, international director of metals and minerals, believes that “this partnership gives Gécamines strengthened control over its strategic resources, while optimizing value for Congolese stakeholders. We are honored to be the preferred partner of Gécamines SA.”
With this joint venture, Gécamines enters a new phase in its history: a return to the forefront of trade, increased attractiveness, and the reconquest of a central role in global supply of strategic minerals. For one of the oldest mining companies in Africa, long a pillar of the Congolese economy, this dynamic marks an ambitious repositioning in a sector undergoing global restructuring.
