DR Congo: 180 M$ to map the subsurface and control geological data

The Democratic Republic of Congo is accelerating the mapping of its subsurface with a 180 million dollar program and aims to regain control over access to geological data, which has become a strategic asset in the global race for critical minerals.

Kinshasa is strengthening public control in 2026 over information about its subsurface, while a large part of the territory remains largely unexplored systematically. The goal is to better guide future exploration campaigns, identify new deposits, and have an additional leverage in negotiations with mining groups and investors.

At the heart of the initiative is a geophysical and geological mapping program entrusted to the Spanish company Xcalibur Multiphysics Group. The National Geological Service of Congo links the current acceleration of the program to a 180 million dollar contract signed with the company. High-resolution airborne surveys will combine magnetic, radiometric, geochemical, and remote sensing data.

This information will be centralized by the National Geological Service of Congo, responsible for creating a more comprehensive national database. Only about 20% of Congolese territory has undergone systematic geological exploration, which still limits precise knowledge of several potentially resource-rich areas. The national geological data bank is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026.

The government now wants to treat this data as a strategic asset. General information should remain accessible, while more detailed or sensitive data could be offered with differentiated and paid access levels. The revenues generated are intended to help finance new research campaigns and the ongoing updating of geological knowledge.

A tool of mining sovereignty

This strategy comes at a time when international competition is intensifying around Congolese copper on major international markets, cobalt, lithium, and other critical minerals at the heart of geoeconomic rivalries essential for batteries, electrical grids, and digital technologies. For Kinshasa, better knowledge of its subsurface should reduce exploration risks for operators while strengthening the state’s ability to negotiate access conditions to resources.

National mapping should also help better certify reserves, guide permit allocations, and more quickly distinguish genuinely promising areas. The government hopes to limit speculative investments on poorly documented concessions and attract more capital to technically sound projects.

The program is part of a broader policy to recover and digitize Congolese geological archives, some of which are still held abroad. Kinshasa is notably seeking to repatriate historical documents and bring together old surveys and new field campaigns within a single digital infrastructure.

Data at the center of the critical minerals battle

The DRC accounts for a major share of global cobalt production and holds a growing position in the copper market. In this context, mastering geological data becomes almost as strategic as the mining itself: it allows knowing where to prospect, more accurately assessing reserves, and prioritizing areas to open to investors.

The next step will be advancing airborne surveys and progressively integrating their results into the national geological database. The success of the system will notably depend on the quality of the data produced, the transparency of access rules, and the Congolese state’s ability to maintain reliable and regularly updated information.