China’s Zijin Mining said it will begin the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first lithium production in June at the contested Manono deposit and start exporting immediately, a move that marks a significant advance in Beijing’s efforts to secure critical minerals in Africa.
According to Reuters, the announcement was confirmed by both Zijin and Congo’s state miner Cominiere.
Zijin had earlier pointed to a first-quarter 2026 start, but told Reuters on Tuesday that June now reflects updated project planning.
The Manono deposit, one of the world’s largest undeveloped hard-rock lithium resources, is at the centre of an international arbitration dispute after Congo cancelled the mining permit of Australian company AVZ Minerals.
Following the cancellation, part of the deposit was reassigned to Manono Lithium, a joint venture between Zijin and Cominiere. Zijin owns 61% of the venture, with Cominiere and the Congolese state holding the remaining shares.
“Manono Lithium will produce its first tons in June, and exports will begin immediately after,” Cominiere Managing Director Alpha Monga Mwidia said on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.
AVZ declined to comment. A source close to the company said it had been informed that blasting took place at the site this week near an area where AVZ still has staff, describing the situation as a safety and procedural concern.
Zijin declined to provide details on expected production volumes or first-year export targets, while Mwidia said the figures were not readily available.
The start of production comes at a time when lithium prices remain under pressure, having fallen about 86% from their late-2022 peak due to heavy stockpiling in China and rising domestic output.
The United States has been pushing to steer Congolese lithium supplies toward Western markets through short-term contracts, challenging China’s long-standing dominance in Africa’s mining sector.
Under the terms of the joint venture, all output from the first phase of the project, including Cominiere’s share, will be marketed and sold by Zijin.
“Everything will be marketed or sold by Zijin on our behalf,” Mwidia said, adding that Cominiere did not contribute to the roughly $1 billion needed to finance the project but will receive revenue in line with its ownership stake.
Mwidia and Zijin said the arbitration involving AVZ does not affect the project timeline and that operations are proceeding in line with existing laws.
In contrast, U.S.-backed KoBold Metals, which holds rights on the opposite side of the Manono deposit, told Reuters it would not begin construction until ownership issues are resolved.
“The Western system is different from the Eastern one,” Mwidia said. “The Chinese are more pragmatic.”
Cominiere is supplying 44 megawatts of electricity to the project through its Katamba Mining unit and plans to increase capacity to 120 megawatts to support mining operations and surrounding communities.
Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
