Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to deepen cooperation in the mining sector, with a focus on easing mineral trade and transport while improving the traceability of minerals from mines to export markets.
The agreement was reached during talks between Tanzania’s Minister for Minerals, Anthony Mavunde, and his DRC counterpart, Louis Watum Kabamba, on the sidelines of the China Mining Conference in Tianjin on September 11, 2026.
The two ministers said closer cooperation could help address challenges facing mineral producers and traders in the two countries while creating a more coordinated approach to the movement and marketing of minerals.
Mr Mavunde said the talks were part of efforts to implement directives by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi to strengthen economic cooperation between the neighbouring countries.
“Today we have met here not by coincidence. This is the result of our leaders’ directives that it is time for our countries to strengthen cooperation in the mining sector because we need and depend on each other, particularly on mineral transportation,” Mr Mavunde said.
He said the governments would now have to translate the political commitment into practical measures covering mineral production, transportation, trade and value addition.
“Our leaders have already laid the foundation. Our responsibility is to implement their vision and strengthen cooperation that will improve our mining sectors, from production to trade and mineral value addition,” he said.
The proposed cooperation is also expected to improve the movement of minerals between the two countries, potentially making Tanzania’s transport corridors more useful to DRC mineral producers seeking access to international markets.
Mr Mavunde said Tanzania and DRC should establish joint mechanisms to strengthen mineral traceability, allowing authorities to track minerals from the point of extraction through processing and trading to export.
The move could also help strengthen oversight of the mineral trade and provide governments with better information on production and exports.
Mr Kabamba welcomed the talks, saying cooperation should be guided by the vision of the two presidents and ultimately deliver tangible benefits to citizens and the two economies.
He said DRC was also interested in learning from Tanzania’s experience in developing small-scale mining and increasing government revenues from the sector.
Small-scale miners in DRC currently contribute relatively little to government revenues, he said, making Tanzania’s experience potentially useful as the country seeks to improve the sector.
Mr Kabamba also praised the performance of Tanzania’s State Mining Corporation (STAMICO), saying DRC could benefit from its experience as it works to strengthen its own state mining company.
He expressed interest in Tanzania sharing its experience to help the DRC mining corporation improve its operations, production capacity and financial sustainability.
The talks come as both countries seek to extract greater economic value from their mineral resources while improving the systems governing production and cross-border mineral trade.