The Congolese Battery Council, a newly established public service entity, made its first official appearance on Saturday, June 15, 2024.
This event, held in front of researchers and scientists from the University of Lubumbashi, focused on the council’s state-recognized missions.
Haut-Lomami, the proposed location for the first local battery manufacturing factory, was represented by its institutional delegates.
“This is the inaugural event for the Congolese Battery Council. It served as an opportunity to introduce ourselves, explain our role, and share insights from our initial work.
The primary mission of the Congolese Battery Council is to develop a value chain for our mineral resources, aiming to enhance the socio-economic conditions of the population,” stated Denis LeCoutumier, General Director of the Congolese Battery Council.
Regarding local electric battery production in the DRC, LeCoutumier noted that the council is diligently working on its initiatives and will soon present its findings.
“We will proceed gradually. Our goal is to start production within 4 to 5 years, beginning with a pilot phase costing around 800 to 900 million US dollars.
Infrastructure costs could increase this to 3 billion US dollars. The workforce will be predominantly Congolese,” he explained.
Jerome Makimba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Congolese Battery Council, elaborated on the council’s missions.
The council is dedicated to identifying partners to attract and promote investments, fostering innovation and technology for the transformation of strategic minerals, and ensuring the supply of raw materials to industries within the electric battery manufacturing sector.
Furthermore, as a public service, the Congolese Battery Council proposes and implements the production of battery precursors and electric vehicles in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It aims to accelerate trade and intra-African collaboration to unlock the potential of innovation throughout the electric battery value chain and initiates awareness-raising missions with partners.
Makimba also highlighted that the Congolese Battery Council will collaborate internationally with other battery councils and produce studies, statistical data, and information related to the battery value chain.
