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KoBold Metals uses AI to search for critical minerals in Congo. In this Aug. 17, 2012 file photo, a Congolese miner digs for cassiterite, the major ore of tin, at Nyabibwe mine, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - Last updated: 1 hour ago Geologists from US mining company KoBold Metals are pushing deep into the Congolese bush, hoping a cutting-edge army of "explorers" directed by AI will help give them an edge in the race for critical minerals. Their gear includes high-precision GPS units and tablets connected to an AI system running in real time on servers thousands of kilometres away at the company's California base. The arrival in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of the young company, founded in 2018 with backing from investors including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, is part of a US strategy to secure supplies of strategic minerals and reduce China's dominance in the sector. China has invested massively in the DRC since the 2000s and controls 70 to 80 percent of the Congolese copper and cobalt market. The central African country is the world's second-largest producer of copper and the top producer of cobalt, which have become crucial for powering so-called clean energy, including rechargeable batteries. Yet the subsoil of the vast country of more than 2.3 million square kilometres (888,000 square miles) remains largely unexplored. "The ideal conditions for major discoveries," says KoBold, which is betting on lithium, an essential component in the production of electric cars. Global demand for lithium is expected to more than double by 2030, according to projections by the International Energy Agency. "We have very encouraging results," said Benjamin Katabuka, KoBold's managing director in the DRC, without giving more details. The American company is still only at the exploration stage and hopes to move into production in a few years' time. KoBold has set up its base in Manono, a remote town in the southeastern DRC, a region that is home to some of the world's most coveted deposits of critical minerals. - Waiting for investment - KoBold has obtained 14 exploration permits, covering an area of more than 3,000 square km, since 2025, prior to the signing in December of a strategic partnership agreement between Washington and Kinshasa. The deal is the economic counterpart to US support aimed at trying - so far unsuccessfully - to restore peace in the eastern DRC, which has been torn by conflict for 30 years. To date, only one other American company, Virtus Minerals, holds assets in the DRC. "Almost a year since the agreement was signed, but American investment hasn't poured in," Katabuka said. According to mining and diplomatic sources, talks are to be held to work out how to attract American investment to a Congolese mining sector riven with corruption and marred by financial and environmental scandals. KoBold plans to invest more than $50 million in the DRC by early 2027. Its teams have already been hard at work since April, collecting an average of 2,000 soil samples per week. At depths of just a few dozen centimetres, the analyses can detect a specific "geochemical signature" indicating the presence of pegmatite, the mineral from which lithium is extracted. KoBold's AI system is then able, based on these data, to create predictive models. "Once we've determined the presence of lithium at very specific points, that allows us to target the drilling," Kevin Tambwe, the lab manager, said. The AI system has ingested huge amounts of data: historical geological maps, old drill logs sometimes dating back to the colonial era, and satellite images. KoBold hopes that its technology will enable it to compete with giants such as China's Zijin, which shipped its first tons of concentrate in June from a huge mine adjacent to the US company's permits. - Holes left behind - In Manono, the arrival of the Americans is raising hopes, but in a region where mines have taken a toll on people for over a century, distrust remains. Vicar general Wilson Katende hopes that "competition" will force an improvement in working conditions. "Right now, you don't feel like people here have been fairly paid," he said, alluding to miners often earning less than $200 a month at the operations already extracting resources in the area. On the streets, activity is sluggish. Motorbike taxi drivers drop workers off at Chinese or Indian mines for a few dollars. The poverty rate in the region is 88 percent, according to official statistics. The Lukushi River, which runs through the territory, has been diverted to serve mining operations. Elders recall that in the past, this tributary of the mighty Congo River was teeming with fish and fed the town. Soldiers from the Congolese army are visible. The presence of Mai-Mai, local militias, has recently been reported in nearby villages. Manono was founded in the early 20th century with tin production by Belgian colonisers. But with plummeting commodity prices and years of turbulence following independence in 1960, the town fell into poverty. "Manono lacks drinking water. Manono is not electrified," territory administrator Cyprien Kitanga told AFP. In the past, mining companies "came, took the ore, and left holes behind for the children of Manono", he added. The recent discovery of lithium has shaken the town from its torpor. But the local workforce condemns inhumane working conditions. "We want to go and work for the Americans," said one man in his work clothes, who declined to give his name. Earlier that same morning, miners burned tyres at the entrance to the mine operated by China's Zijin to protest against meagre wages and endless workdays. Zijin told AFP in a statement it had "engaged with employee representatives" and agreed measures to address their concerns.

TAAG opens Lusaka freighter route as Zambia's copper boom puts air cargo back in focus. 1 September 2026 Estimated reading time: 4 minutes TAAG Angola Airlines has launched a weekly dedicated freighter service between Luanda and Lusaka, giving Zambia new main deck cargo capacity as rising mining investment and stronger African air freight demand increase the country's importance to regional logistics networks. The service began on July 24 using a Boeing 737-800 freighter. The inaugural flight carried 12.8 tonnes of high value cargo originating in Amsterdam, including machinery parts, information technology equipment and personal effects. The route forms part of TAAG's North South logistics corridor and is intended to connect Zambia with cargo flows originating in Europe, China and Brazil through Luanda. NAC2000 is supporting the operation in Zambia as cargo and ramp handler and general sales agent. The development gives forwarders another option for moving time critical industrial and mining cargo into a landlocked economy that is seeking to sharply increase copper production and attract investment into domestic processing. Copper investment strengthens the cargo case. Zambia produced 890,346 tonnes of copper in 2025 and is targeting annual production of 3 million tonnes by 2031. Meeting that target would require substantial investment in mines, processing facilities, power infrastructure and supporting logistics. More than $10 billion in mining investment has been announced or committed since 2021. Among the projects is the planned expansion of Barrick's Lumwana operation, while KoBold Metals is developing the Mingomba copper project with anticipated investment of about $2.3 billion to $2.5 billion. Such projects generate demand for logistics well beyond copper exports. Mines require spare parts, electrical equipment, electronics, machinery and other high value components, some of which are suited to air freight when production schedules make transit time critical. Zambia's government is simultaneously seeking greater domestic mineral processing. That could gradually alter logistics patterns by increasing imports of manufacturing and processing equipment while creating higher value exports. The government has also extended the suspension of a 10% export duty on copper concentrates until September 30 because of maintenance and technical problems at domestic smelters. The exemption covers 271,742 tonnes, including allocations for Mopani Copper Mines, Barrick's Lumwana operation and First Quantum Minerals. Lusaka gains capacity as African cargo demand rises. The TAAG service comes as African air freight is outperforming most other regions. African airlines recorded a 13.3% year on year increase in cargo tonne kilometres in May, according to industry data, the strongest growth of any region. Africa nevertheless accounted for only 2.1% of global air cargo traffic, leaving significant room for network development. Lusaka already has substantial international belly capacity. Emirates operates Boeing 777 passenger services through Lusaka and Harare, with the aircraft able to provide up to 23 tonnes of belly hold cargo capacity per flight. Typical flows include vegetables and flowers on the export side and pharmaceuticals and mining equipment inbound. Claims that Emirates has launched a weekly dedicated Boeing 777 freighter operation to Lusaka in 2026 could not be independently confirmed and should not be treated as established. The broader Emirates SkyCargo expansion is confirmed. The carrier has been adding Boeing 777 freighters during 2026 and is working toward a substantially larger freighter operation as additional aircraft enter service. Zambia has also invested in airport cargo infrastructure, including facilities at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport serving Ndola and the Copperbelt. For TAAG, Lusaka expands an African freighter network that already connects Luanda with major commercial centres including Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Accra and Kinshasa. The carrier has positioned Luanda as a transfer point linking international cargo with markets across the continent. The test will now be whether Zambia's mining investment and industrial expansion can generate sustained two way loads. For forwarders, the arrival of dedicated freighter capacity provides another route for cargo that cannot wait for conventional surface transport through Southern Africa. 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