China’s Zijin Mining Group is targeting to commence lithium production in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in early 2026 from one of the world’s largest deposits of battery metal.
Bloomberg reports that Zijin is fast-tracking activity at a site in southeast DRC that is still claimed by AVZ Minerals.
AVZ reportedly began arbitration proceedings against both Kinshasa and Zijin as part of its efforts to recover an exploration licence.
It accused the DRC government of acting illegally by taking over its whole permit and handing over the northern portion to a unit of Zijin in September 2023.
AVZ said arbitration tribunals ordered Zijin’s state-owned partner to stop any move to develop the disputed permit area until they hear the cases.
An unnamed Zijin spokesperson was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that the Manono project is expected to begin production during the first quarter of 2026, which will make it the first operating lithium mine in the DRC, the world’s second-largest copper producer and biggest source of cobalt.
Zijin – which has copper, gold, lithium and zinc mines across five continents – is developing Manono in a joint venture with the DRC government and was awarded a full mining licence four months ago.
Zijin claimed it is “in full compliance” with all legal and regulatory requirements in the DRC.
“We are very pleased to have received the Manono exploitation permit and our priority now is to proceed with developing it,” the spokesperson said.
The Chinese company could not reveal its production target but intends to commission the processing plant in phases.
Chinese companies are investing heavily in Africa’s lithium resources from Mali to Zimbabwe.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
