# DR Congo’s Ban on Copper and Cobalt Exports Puts Global Battery Supply on Notice

*Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 10:09 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-08-06T10:09:09.430Z (1h ago)
**Category**: markets | **Region**: Africa
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/13339.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has banned exports of copper and cobalt concentrates and imposed a new tax on high‑value by‑products, seeking to force more processing at home. For electric‑vehicle makers, battery manufacturers, and miners worldwide, the move tightens a critical link in the supply chain for the metals that power the energy transition.

The government that sits atop some of the world’s richest mineral deposits has decided it wants more than raw‑ore rents. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has ordered a ban on exports of copper and cobalt concentrates and introduced a new tax on valuable mining by‑products, a bid to keep more processing and revenue inside the country that supplies much of the world’s cobalt. An official order, reported on 6 August, confirms that exporters will no longer be allowed to ship semi‑processed copper and cobalt concentrates out of the country. Instead, miners will be pushed to refine these materials domestically before exporting higher‑value products. At the same time, Kinshasa is…

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