The defining moment: when resilience met reinvention

If there is one moment that best encapsulates Gécamines’ contribution to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Africa’s mining story, it is not a single mine opening or production milestone. Rather, it is the strategic pivot that began in the late 20th century and accelerated over the past 30 to 40 years, when Gécamines transformed itself from a monolithic, state-run operator into the architect of a joint-venture–driven national mining model.

This shift fundamentally reshaped the DRC’s mining sector. By moving from operating alone to structuring partnerships with global mining leaders, Gécamines unlocked billions of dollars in investment, revived long-dormant assets in the Katanga Copperbelt, introduced modern technologies, and ensured that Congolese ownership remained embedded in world-class operations. At a time when collapse was widely predicted, partnership became the instrument through which national control was preserved and renewed.

Equally defining has been Gécamines’ resilience. Through commodity downturns, political transitions, infrastructure collapse and acute financial strain, the company remained the backbone of the Katanga Copperbelt. It safeguarded strategic resources and ensured continuity in an industry critical to the national economy. This ability to endure, reorganise and adapt over decades is itself a defining achievement.

Behind these strategic shifts lies Gécamines’ most tangible legacy: sustained support to the Congolese state. At its peak, the company financed a substantial share of public expenditure, underpinned salaries and infrastructure, and helped shape the industrial identity of the country. Even as the sector diversified, Gécamines continued to anchor fiscal revenues through Pas de Portes, royalties, dividends and joint-venture contributions.
In short, the moment that defines Gécamines is the one where resilience met reinvention - when a historic state miner transformed itself through partnerships, safeguarded national ownership through the toughest decades, and continued to power the economy that drives the DRC.

Evolving governance, operating model and community impact

Over recent decades, Gécamines has undergone a profound transformation across governance, operations and social impact — a shift from state operator to strategic steward of the national mining sector.

Governance:
Once characterised by centralised state control, Gécamines has progressively strengthened its corporate governance frameworks, board oversight and financial reporting. Participation in international joint ventures introduced contractual discipline, compliance requirements and performance monitoring aligned with global standards. Today, governance is increasingly focused on transparency, accountability and the protection of national interests within complex multinational partnerships.

Operating model:
The most decisive evolution has been operational. Where Gécamines once controlled exploration, development and production end-to-end, it has repositioned itself as a joint-venture architect and strategic asset manager. This model enabled the revival of major deposits, access to capital and technology, and risk-sharing - while retaining Congolese equity in key assets.

The company is now increasingly investment-focused: optimising equity value, securing Pas de Portes, royalties and dividends, and protecting strategic resources for future generations. At the same time, Gécamines is selectively rebuilding operational capacity on core assets, signalling a more balanced model between partnership and in-house capability.

Community impact:
Historically, Gécamines operated a paternalistic social model, providing housing, healthcare, schools and infrastructure directly - typical of mid-20th-century African mining companies. As the company restructured, community engagement evolved toward formalised social responsibility frameworks, often embedded in joint-venture agreements and community development obligations.

Today, Gécamines plays a strategic role in ensuring partners deliver on social commitments, defending community interests in negotiations, and promoting development that extends beyond mine gates into regional economies.

Positioning for electrification and copper demand

As global electrification accelerates, copper has become central to the energy transition — and Gécamines is positioning itself accordingly. The company is focused on securing and expanding copper production while strengthening the energy backbone required to sustain it.

A key pillar is close collaboration with SNEL (Société Nationale d'Électricité) to improve power reliability through joint planning, grid upgrades and energy-security initiatives. These efforts are essential to support both current operations and future expansion.

In parallel, Gécamines is working with its joint-venture partners to align long-term investment strategies with rising copper demand. This includes optimising production plans, modernising processing plants and improving operational efficiency, while increasingly integrating cleaner technologies.

In essence, Gécamines is coordinating SNEL, JV partners and internal teams around a single objective: secure energy, enhance copper supply and capture the opportunity created by global electrification.

Proof points: joint ventures that deliver

The Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) and Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) partnerships stand out as emblematic successes. From a production perspective, both joint ventures revitalised large-scale copper and cobalt output, introduced modern mining technologies and reinforced the DRC’s position in global critical-minerals markets. Equally important, they delivered measurable community benefits - investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment and local supplier development.

These examples demonstrate that well-structured joint ventures can simultaneously drive industrial performance and meaningful social impact, aligning economic returns with national and community priorities.

The anniversary pledge: a renaissance for the next century

As Gécamines marks its 120th anniversary, its pledge for the next century is ambitious: to lead a renaissance of Congolese mining while creating lasting value for the nation and its people.
The company’s strategy rests on three pillars:

1. Valorisation of mining assets through renewed exploration, reserve certification, acquisition of modern production units and stronger control over partnerships - enhancing mining sovereignty, capacity and transparency.
2. Human capital at the centre, with structured retirement and staff renewal, targeted recruitment, and skills development in partnership with global technology leaders, including Oracle.
3. Financial and governance optimisation, strengthening revenue control from shareholdings, rationalising costs, and deploying modern information systems to support transparency and efficiency.

Complementing these pillars are commitments to revive in-house production, expand downstream processing, scale sustainable community development, modernise energy use with low-carbon solutions, and uphold the highest governance standards.

In essence, Gécamines is pledging not just continuity, but renewal: harnessing partnerships wisely, rebuilding internal capability, and positioning the DRC as a central player in the global electrification and battery supply chain for the next 100 years.

From state miner to strategic architect, Gécamines’ story is inseparable from the DRC’s own mining destiny - and its next chapter may prove just as consequential as its last.