Zijin Started Lithium Export to China from Manono Mine in DR Congo
On 13 July 2026, the Congolese Minister of Commerce Julien Kahongya received Kevin Wang from Zijin Manono Mine to discuss the export of lithium from DRC to China. Zijin Mining (SHSE: 601899) reported that it had completed its first export shipment of lithium concentrate from its Manono Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Lithium joins the long list of other minerals extracted and exported from the DRC, including copper, cobalt, gold, tantalum, uranium and zinc.
The mining sector in the DRC is dominated by Chinese firms, with China Molybdenum (Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu), China MinMetals (Kinsevere), Jinchuan (Musonoi), China Railway Engineering-Sinohydro JV (Sicomines), Zhejiang Huayou (Congo Dongfang Mining), Zijin (Commus, Kamoa-Kakula), to name a few, have been in operation for many years. Most of these mines contain a combination of cobalt and copper.
At Manono, Zijin extracts lithium as well as cesium and tantalum from the pegmatite deposits. In 2021, it is worth recalling that the leading global battery maker, China Amperex Technologies Limited (CATL), took a stake in the Kisanfu Mine. CATL has a priority offtake agreement from Kisanfu for the copper and cobalt produced at the mine.
From Manono, trucks haul the lithium all the way to the lakeside town of Kalemie. The consignment crosses Lake Tanganyika by boat into Tanzania, and is then transported on land again to the Dar es Salaam Port. Finally, the ore gets shipped to China. For 2026, Zijin targets to export 30,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate.
The Manono Mine is owned by a consortium of companies, with Zijin’s 54.9%, Cominiere’s 35.1%, and the Government of DRC holds 10%. Manono is now split into two blocks: one for China’s Zijin, and another for the USA’s KoBold Metals. AVZ Minerals initiated a legal dispute with the Government of the DRC. While Zijin still went ahead with its Manono project, KoBold prefers to wait for a resolution before its final investment decision.
Annually, Zijin’s Manono Mine has a capacity for extracting up to 500,000 tonnes of ore and can output one million tonnes of spodumene (a lithium ore) concentrate. The DRC Government is encouraging mining companies to invest more in downstream activities to anchor more benefits locally. In response, Zijin plans to build a lithium sulfate processing plant as part of the next phase.