DRC replaces cobalt export ban with 96,600-tonne annual quota
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo turned a February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027, Bankable reported. The IEA linked a rise of about 130% in cobalt prices to the DRC constraint; the sources reviewed do not state environmental effects of the quota.
- CMOC — Exported about 96,000 tonnes in 2024; Bankable's headline says it wins the largest share of the quota Bankable
- Artisanal cobalt miners — Share of DRC output fell to about 2% in 2024 (Cobalt Institute); their outcomes are not described in the sources reviewed
What happened
Bankable reported in October 2025 that the DRC converted its February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027, of which 9,600 tonnes are at the discretion of the regulator ARECOMS.
The same report says CMOC exported about 96,000 tonnes in 2024, and its headline says CMOC wins the largest share of the quota.
The IEA reported that cobalt prices rose about 130% from January 2025 to April 2026 in its base-metals review, linking the rise to the DRC constraint.
The Cobalt Institute reported that artisanal cobalt fell to about 2% of DRC production in 2024, a decline it attributed to growth in industrial output.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record Environmental effects of the export ban and quota are not stated in the sources reviewed.
- None on record Labour and community conditions in DRC cobalt mining are not covered by the sources reviewed for this record.
- None on record The basis for the 9,600-tonne discretionary allocation is not stated.
- None on record The IEA figure and the Cobalt Institute figure have no URL in the sources reviewed.
- None on record The reason for the February 2025 export ban is not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Unclear Whether the quota has changed cobalt prices beyond the IEA-reported rise is not stated.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
Connected cases
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- Cobalt child labour lawsuits against tech firms (DR Congo) DR Congo · 2024
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- DR Congo oil blocks auction after forest deal Democratic Republic of the Congo · 2022–2026
- Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Government) — here: Set the export ban and then the quota; there: Licensing authority
- DR Congo's 2018 mining code raises cobalt royalty from 2% to 10% DR Congo · 2018
- Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Government) — here: Set the export ban and then the quota; there: Government that signed the mining code
- US and DRC sign minerals partnership giving US firms first offer on mining sites Democratic Republic of the Congo · 2026
- Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Government) — here: Set the export ban and then the quota; there: signatory to the partnership