KINSHASA — September 8, 2026 — The Democratic Republic of the Congo plans to make its national geological data bank fully operational by the end of 2026, placing access to strategic mining information under state control.

Basic geological information will be available free of charge, while companies and other users will have to pay for access to more commercially sensitive datasets, according to Raoul Wazenga Vitima, director general of the National Geological Survey of Congo, known as SGNC.

Wazenga told Reuters that requests for information would be assessed against investors' needs and the protection of the DRC's strategic interests.

The SGNC has not yet published the fee structure or specified which information will be free and which datasets will require payment.

Read the September 8 Reuters report

Geological information to remain under Congolese ownership

The access model is part of a broader effort to map the DRC's mineral resources, digitise historical records and give the state a stronger understanding of the country's underground wealth.

The SGNC estimates that systematic exploration has covered only around 20% of the country, despite the DRC's major deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, tantalum and gold.

One of the largest initiatives is a three-year programme being carried out with Spanish geodata company Xcalibur Smart Mapping. The project will survey more than 700,000 square kilometres using airborne magnetic, radiometric, gravity and electromagnetic technologies, supported by fieldwork and advanced data analysis.

Xcalibur says all information generated through the programme will remain the property of the SGNC and the Congolese government, which will decide how it is used and shared.