Largest copper mines in Congo

The largest copper mines in Congo are concentrated in the southern Copperbelt — Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces — and are operated by a small group of international companies with state minority participation in most cases. The rankings below use operator-reported production for 2023, the most recent complete calendar year available from company disclosures and EITI data.

Largest operating mines

1. Tenke Fungurume / KFM — CMOC Group Located near Fungurume in Lualaba province. CMOC (80%), Gécamines (20%). Copper output approximately 450,000 tonnes in 2023. Also the world's largest single industrial cobalt source. KFM, the expansion project adjacent to TFM, is ramping up and will add further capacity. Combined TFM-KFM copper output is targeted at higher levels over 2025–2028.

2. Kamoa-Kakula — Ivanhoe / Zijin / DRC government Located near Kolwezi, Lualaba province. Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining (39.6%), Crystal River Global (0.8%), DRC government (20%). Copper output approximately 437,000 tonnes in 2023. In active expansion; production has grown every year since Phase 1 commissioning in 2021.

3. Mutanda — Glencore Located in Lualaba province. Glencore 100%. Approximately 300,000 tonnes of copper per year since returning from care and maintenance in 2022. Cobalt is a significant co-product.

4. KCC — Kamoto Copper Company — Glencore Located near Kolwezi, Lualaba province. Glencore 75%. Produces copper and cobalt from underground mining and processing operations.

Where they sit

All four major operations are within Lualaba province, within approximately 200 kilometres of Kolwezi. The concentration in a single province means that logistics constraints, power availability, and provincial governance decisions affect the majority of DRC copper production simultaneously.

Haut-Katanga, the neighbouring province to the south with Lubumbashi as its capital, hosts Kipushi (primarily zinc), ERG's BOSS Mining, and several smaller copper operations, but its copper output is lower than Lualaba's on current data.

Ownership snapshot

Glencore controls the largest share of nameplate copper production capacity in the DRC through its 100 percent ownership of Mutanda and 75 percent interest in KCC. CMOC has the highest single-mine output through TFM/KFM. Ivanhoe Mines has the most significant expansion trajectory at Kamoa-Kakula.

State participation is present in most operations: Gécamines holds a 20 percent interest in TFM and a 32 percent interest in Kipushi. The DRC government holds a 20 percent direct interest in Kamoa-Kakula. These interests are non-dilutable in most cases and generate dividend income and royalties flowing to state entities, as governed by the 2018 Mining Code.