Civil war in this region has not assisted any substantial resource development. Congo’s main mineral industry is focused on petroleum products, with petroleum contributing 60% of the Congo’s foreign exchange earnings annually. The Congo has base metal, gold, iron ore and phosphate potential.
Work carried out by geologists from Ashanti Goldfields have discovered primary gold mineralisation at the Mougongo prospect which covers the newly identified 180 km long Mayombe Belt.
Trace showings of alluvial diamonds have been located near the border with the Central African Republic. Portuguese based Escom have apparantly secured diamond exploration rights in the northern Congolese region of Likouala. The licence covers 6 000 km2, with exploration work beginning in late 2001.
Base metal potential in the Congo has been defined in the Niari region. Six deposits have been outlined in the Western Niari, including the most important deposit, Yanga Koubanza. Yanga Koubanza is estimated to contain 5.53 Mt grading 8% lead, 7% zinc and 1.9% copper. Canadian junior AfriOre has exploration licences covering the deposit, including the Boko Songho licence that has been estimated to contain a resource of 2Mt grading at 4.5% copper. However, due to the ongoing civil unrest in the country, little work has been completed on the licence areas. The Eastern Niari region also hosts six base metal deposits, of which the Mindouli is the largest.
Iron ore (estimated 1000 Mt) deposits have been identified near the border with Gabon as well as potential phosphate deposits near the coastal regions, spanning a distance of about 150 km.
Most projects in the country are on hold or suspended because of the civil war and subsequent rebel activity.
