China will be able to consolidate its leading role in the critical minerals industry in Africa. Chinese mining giant Zijin Mining, in collaboration with the state-owned Cominiere of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will start commercial lithium production at the Manono deposit in the southeastern DRC in June 2026. The exports will commence right after the initial output.
This is a historic occasion: the Democratic Republic of Congo will be the first producer of lithium in Africa. The Manono project is among the biggest undeveloped hard-rock lithium resources on the planet and lies at the centre of the battery metals race the entire world requires to commence electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
Scale and Strategic Significance of a Project
The Manono deposit has large amounts of premium grade lithium bearing pegmatite. The Phase 1 of the project will handle 5 million tonnes of ore annually and generate approximately 500,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate and 95,170 tonnes of lithium sulfate annually. The first stage has cost the company about 1 billion dollars.
Zijin Mining has a 61% majority stake in the joint venture, with Cominiere and the Congolese government having the rest. Based on the deal, Zijin will sell and sell all the first phase production of lithium, including the share of Cominiere.
Guaranteed Production Schedule
At the Mining Indaba conferencing in Cape Town, Cominiere Managing Director Alpha Monga Mwidia assured the optimized schedule. He said that in June 2026 Manono Lithium will first produce its first tons and immediately after that, it will start exporting its products. It is a little later than the original first-quarter 2026 schedule, where final construction and commissioning can be made.
Zijin has yet to announce specific first-year production and export goals, although the organization is in charge of the entire sales and marketing of the output.
Ongoing Ownership Dispute
A major legal battle continues to make the project controversial. In 2023, the government of Congo withdrew mining rights that Australian company AVZ Minerals had previously, citing delays in the development. Zijin-Cominiere joint venture was awarded the license.
AVZ maintains that the revocation was illegal and a case has been submitted to the international arbitration (ICSID). The conflict is ongoing as of February 2026. In the meantime, the government of Congolese has been insisting that it acted in line with its lawful powers.
Close to this, U.S.-supported KoBold Metals has exploration rights on an adjacent portion of the deposit but has not yet commenced the construction until the ownership problems are completely sorted out.
Difficult Market Environments
The introduction is an inopportune moment in the prices of lithium. The overall price in the world has decreased by nearly 86 percent since the end of 2022, as a result of oversupply, Chinese hoarding, increased production in other countries, and decreased growth in electric car demand.
Although the prices are lower, China has actively pursued its activities in the lithium and copper industries of Africa, especially the DRC, to ensure its futures and retain its grip on the processing of battery metals worldwide.
Minerals in Congo Geopolitical Competition
The Manono project points to the increasing competition between China and America to dominate the critical minerals of Africa. China has a 30 years established competitive advantage due to decades of investment and speedy project implementation. The United States, in its turn, is striving to shift Congolese mineral supply towards the West with diplomacy and subsidies, in order to escape Chinese-controlled supply chains.
What Happens Next
The manufacturing date is planned to be June 2026, and the ramp-up should be constant all year round. Provided that it is successful, the project might be developed into additional stages within the next few years.
In the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Manono would be a significant step to the country to stop exporting raw minerals and create more value with its resources. To the world market, it provides valuable new lithium supply when there is an ongoing increase in demand of batteries.
Nevertheless, the success of the project in the long-term will be determined by solving the current arbitration, handling environmental and community consequences, and overcoming severe geopolitical pressures.
Conclusion
The DRC will officially access the world market of lithium by mid-2026, which will further enhance the dominance of China in African critical minerals and the competition between the U.S. and China on battery metals.