The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is moving to gain digital access to a vast collection of colonial-era geological records preserved in Belgium, a move expected to strengthen the country’s mining sector and improve exploration of its enormous mineral wealth.
The archive, stored at the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren near Brussels, contains nearly 500 metres of historical documents, including geological maps, mining records, survey reports, and field notes compiled during Belgium’s colonial administration before Congo gained independence in 1960.
Congolese authorities believe the records could help uncover previously unexplored mineral deposits, attract new investment, and improve the country’s management of a mining industry built around resources estimated to be worth about $24 trillion.
The documents primarily focus on copper and gold but also contain information on cobalt, lithium, and other critical minerals used in electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, electronics, and defence industries.
The push to digitise the archive gained momentum after discussions involving U.S.-based KoBold Metals. Although the AfricaMuseum declined the company’s proposal to digitise the collection to avoid giving exclusive access to a private firm, KoBold later partnered with the Congolese government and is currently digitising mining records at the University of Lubumbashi.
Congolese officials have since intensified diplomatic discussions with Belgium and the European Union to accelerate the digitisation and eventual transfer of the records. Both sides have agreed to develop a joint roadmap and establish a task force to oversee the project, which Kinshasa says will strengthen the country’s geoscientific sovereignty and make its mining sector more competitive.
The initiative comes as the DRC continues tightening control over its cobalt industry. The government has introduced export quotas, created a strategic reserve, and announced plans to reclaim unused export rights as part of broader reforms aimed at increasing national control over critical mineral resources.
With global demand for cobalt, copper, lithium, and other strategic minerals rising, the race among the United States, China, and Europe to secure reliable supplies has intensified, placing the DRC at the centre of international competition for critical resources.
