KoBold Inks Congo Exploration Deal to Grow US Mineral Access
Maxar satellite image showing infrastructure and operational activity at the Manono lithium mine in southeastern Congo, on June 1.
Source: Satellite image (c) 2025 Maxar Technologies.
KoBold Metals and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a mineral exploration pact, deepening the company’s activities in the central African nation.
The US firm, supported by billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has made an “agreement in principle” to apply for exploration permits in Congo, according to a Thursday statement from the country’s presidency. Congo is the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, the second-largest source of copper and has vast deposits of lithium and tantalum.