DRC and Tanzania Deepen Mining Cooperation on Critical Minerals, Geological Data and Infrastructure
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania are strengthening economic cooperation through a new strategic partnership focused on critical minerals, geological data, energy and transport infrastructure.
The agreement emerged from DRC President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi’s official visit to Tanzania, which concluded on 18 August following talks with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the State House in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar.
The two countries agreed to revitalise their Joint Permanent Commission and establish a strategic partnership aimed at expanding bilateral trade and creating new investment opportunities.
Critical Minerals and Geological Data
A key component of the partnership is a technical cooperation framework covering critical minerals and the exchange of strategic geological data.
The initiative is intended to strengthen the capacity of both countries to assess and manage mineral resources that are increasingly important to global energy-transition supply chains.
For the DRC, the partnership could provide an additional platform for cooperation on its vast copper, cobalt and other critical-mineral resources, while Tanzania can benefit from closer technical collaboration and access to regional geological expertise.
Energy and Transport Cooperation
The two governments also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the oil and natural gas sectors, including technical assessments of projects that could deliver mutual economic benefits.
Infrastructure and trade were another major focus, with Kinshasa and Dodoma seeking to accelerate improvements along the Central Corridor to facilitate the movement of goods and improve access to key economic areas.
Planned initiatives include the rehabilitation of port infrastructure at Dar es Salaam, Kigoma and Kalemie, expansion of lake transport, progressive railway network interconnection and the development of a cross-border fibre-optic backbone.
The projects are expected to strengthen multimodal connectivity between the two countries and improve regional trade.
Central Corridor Gains Strategic Importance
The Central Corridor could become increasingly important to the DRC’s mining industry by providing improved access to international markets through Tanzania.
Better connections between mining regions, Lake Tanganyika, rail networks and the port of Dar es Salaam could support the movement of minerals, equipment and other goods while providing mining companies with additional logistics options.
For both countries, the development of the corridor is therefore closely linked to broader ambitions for regional economic integration.
The DRC-Tanzania partnership represents a broader shift towards cooperation across the mining, energy, infrastructure, technology and trade sectors, with critical minerals and geological information forming an important part of the emerging framework.
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