KINSHASA – Democratic Republic of Congo will subject major mining companies to annual audits of subcontracting practices and compliance with local-content requirements from 2027, as authorities step up efforts to increase business for Congolese-owned firms, the head of the country's subcontracting regulator told Reuters.

The world's largest cobalt producer and Africa's top copper producer has tightened oversight of its mining sector as it seeks to channel more contracts and procurement spending to local companies.

A new local-content law is due to take effect on January 1, 2027. Authorities are drafting sector-specific rules for mining and other industries that will include sanctions and mandatory three-year compliance plans, Beleshayi Kasanda Ted, director general of the Authority for the Regulation of Subcontracting in the Private Sector (ARSP), told Reuters last week.

Major operators in Congo include Ivanhoe Mines, Glencore, Eurasian Resources Group and China's CMOC and Zijin.

REGULATOR EXPANDS INSPECTION CAPACITY
ARSP this month ordered Glencore, Ivanhoe's Kipushi zinc mine and Chinese-controlled copper miner Sicomines to end non-compliant subcontracting arrangements, submit corrective plans and expand opportunities for Congolese-owned suppliers.

An Ivanhoe spokesperson said the company was in regular contact with ARSP and considered its Kipushi mine compliant with applicable subcontracting rules.

Glencore and Sicomines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Beleshayi said ARSP was recruiting a new group of inspectors and reviewing previously unresolved company inspections as part of a broader compliance drive.

Robert Malumba Kalombo, head of the Federation of Enterprises of Congo, the country's largest private-sector business association, warned implementation risked becoming too focused on inspections and penalties rather than helping build competitive Congolese companies.

Jean-Claud Mputue, spokesperson for nonprofit group Congo Is Not for Sale, called for greater transparency around enforcement actions and disclosure of subcontractors' beneficial owners.

He warned stricter local-content requirements could encourage politically connected firms to capture contracts without stronger safeguards.

Of the $3.7-billion in subcontracting contracts declared by 167 major companies in 2025, $3.1-billion, or 83%, went to majority Congolese-owned companies, including $2.9-billion in the mining sector alone, Beleshayi said.