Determining resources and reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), although known for its significant mining potential and “world-class” deposits in various commodities, has its challenges, says SRK Consulting Congo chairman and geological consultant Dominique Sambwa.
Over the past two decades, the DRC government has taken decisions to privatise mines; however, in the era of privatisation, the financing of projects relies enormously on in-depth knowledge of geology and controls of mineralisation, and the lack thereof is causing challenges, he explains.
While some areas, such as southern Katanga, have been extensively explored, with studies being conducted to advance the knowledge base on the geology and distribution of mineralisation – particularly the areas of exploitation, resource estimation and reserve assessment studies – the vast majority of concessions outside southern Katanga have remained underexplored.
Sambwa highlights that investors interested in the DRC’s mining potential generally have to embark on a risky phase of exploration, resource definition and the exploration work to determine deeper potential.
This requires sophisticated methods of prospecting and, ultimately, financial institutions are reluctant to commit capital to this high-risk phase.
As such, the defining of mineral resources and mineral reserves becomes a challenge – leaving much of the mineral potential untapped.
Read the full article in Mining Weekly
