By decree adopted by the Council of Ministers on April 10, 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has established a Strategic Reserve of Strategic Mineral Substances which aims to stabilize the markets of strategic mineral substances, support their development and strengthen the economic sovereignty of the country.
The establishment and management of this Strategic Reserve have been entrusted to the Regulatory and Control Authority for Strategic Mineral Substances Markets (“Autorité de Régulation et de Contrôle des Marchés des Substances Minérales Stratégiques” or “ARECOMS”), which is now authorized to acquire, hold, manage and market quantities of strategic mineral substances.
This strengthening of ARECOMS’ mandate is in line with the ongoing reforms undertaken by the Congolese Government aimed at strengthening its sovereignty over its mineral resources, supporting its socio-economic development and improving the living and working conditions of the most vulnerable populations.
In 2025, ARECOMS had already adopted temporary measures to suspend cobalt exports in order to rebalance the market, following a historic price drop caused by an overabundance of supply. These measures were subsequently reinforced by the implementation of a quota policy aimed at more closely regulating supply on the market.
The Strategic Reserve now serves as an additional and key tool for regulating the markets for these substances. It will allow the Congolese State to intervene in a targeted manner regarding the quantities of strategic mineral substances available in order to maintain the balance of the international market and contribute to strengthening its economic sovereignty.
As a reminder, decree n°18/042 of November 24, 2018 declared cobalt, germanium and columbite-tantalite (or “coltan”) as strategic mineral substances in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Established by decree n° 19/16 of November 5, 2019, ARECOMS’ main objectives are:
• to exercise, throughout the national territory, all activities relating to the regulation and control of the production and export of strategic mineral substances as defined by decree no. 18/042 of November 24, 2018, namely columbite-tantalite (coltan), cobalt, and germanium;
• to ensure the stability of the strategic mineral substances market;
• to promote the economic and industrial attractiveness of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
• to ensure that companies under its control comply with legislation on combating money laundering and terrorist financing;
• to clean up the sector by ensuring compliance with national and international standards relating to the protection of vulnerable persons.
ARECOMS’s activities extend to both artisanal and industrial mining of strategic mineral substances throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.