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DRC Battery Metals Forum: Driving dialogue on critical minerals

Now in its third year, the DRC–Africa Battery Metals Forum [DBM] is fast becoming a key platform for shaping the future of Africa’s battery metals industry.

Originally launched in Kinshasa, the event has since evolved, moving to Kolwezi to bring discussions closer to the heart of the DRC’s mining belt.

At its core, DBM is more than just a conference. It is a collaborative forum designed to explore the DRC’s position as a global hub for critical minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel.

Audrey Bading Mve, Stakeholder & Programme Director for the Natural Resources Portfolio at VUKA Group, explained that the event’s mission is to support both government and the private sector in transforming these resources into industries of the future.

DBM is structured around focused discussions and roundtables.

Participants include researchers, geologists, engineers, metallurgists, and academics from across Africa, including South Africa and the DRC.

The programme covers a broad range of issues:

• International cooperation and strategic partnerships
• Environmental considerations and resource transformation
• The role of Special Economic Zones [SEZs], which are already being developed in parts of the DRC

Bading Mve acknowledged the challenges of building such a platform but highlighted the growing enthusiasm from both ministries and the private sector.

“All beginnings are tough,” she noted, “but the quality of attendees and the support from government show that this event is adding real value.”

The forum has also gained recognition from the Ministry of Industry, which continues to host its own events but also actively supports DBM.

This alignment reflects a shared political and economic will to grow the sector, step by step.

Ultimately, the DRC–Africa Battery Metals Forum is positioned as a catalyst for resilience and growth in a sector critical to the global energy transition.