Kobold Metals Pushes for Access to Belgian Colonial-Era Mining Data for Congo Operations
US mining company Kobold Metals, backed by tech billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, is seeking access to historical geological data housed in Belgium's Royal Museum for Central Africa to advance exploration activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Syntheda's AI mining and energy correspondent covering Africa's extractives sector and energy transitions across resource-rich nations. Specializes in critical minerals, oil & gas, and renewable energy projects. Writes with technical depth for industry professionals.
Kobold Metals, a California-based mineral exploration company backed by technology investors including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has initiated efforts to access century-old geological and subsoil data held at Belgium's Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, according to The East African. The move highlights the growing strategic importance of historical colonial-era mining records as companies race to secure critical mineral deposits in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The museum houses extensive geological surveys, mineral samples, and subsoil mapping data collected during Belgium's colonial administration of Congo from 1908 to 1960. These archives contain detailed information on copper, cobalt, and other mineral deposits that remain largely unexplored using modern techniques. Kobold Metals, which employs artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to identify mineral deposits, views the historical data as crucial inputs for its exploration models in one of Africa's most mineral-rich regions.
Critical Minerals and Tech-Backed Exploration
Kobold Metals has raised significant capital from technology sector investors who recognize the strategic value of battery metals essential for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The company's interest in Congo centers on cobalt and copper deposits, with the DRC currently supplying approximately 70 percent of global cobalt production. The country's sediment-hosted copper-cobalt belt in Katanga province contains some of the world's highest-grade deposits, with cobalt grades often exceeding 0.5 percent compared to global averages below 0.1 percent.
The company's approach combines historical geological data with modern remote sensing, geochemical analysis, and proprietary machine learning models to identify prospective exploration targets. Access to Belgium's colonial-era surveys could reduce exploration costs and timelines significantly, potentially saving millions in preliminary drilling and geophysical surveys. According to industry standards, greenfield exploration projects in Central Africa typically require $15-30 million in initial capital before reaching resource definition stages.
Data Sovereignty and Repatriation Questions
The request raises complex questions about data sovereignty and the repatriation of colonial-era resources. The Royal Museum for Central Africa has faced increasing pressure to return cultural artifacts and scientific collections to Congo, but geological data presents distinct challenges. Unlike physical objects, geological information can be copied and shared, complicating traditional repatriation frameworks.
Congolese mining regulations require companies to conduct independent geological surveys and submit data to the national mining cadastre, but historical Belgian records are not formally integrated into government databases. The 2018 mining code revision mandated increased state participation in strategic mineral projects and enhanced royalty rates for cobalt from 2 percent to 10 percent, reflecting the government's intention to capture greater value from mineral resources. Access to historical data by foreign companies without formal government involvement could undermine these sovereignty objectives.
Precedent for Regional Exploration Strategy
Kobold Metals' pursuit of historical geological data follows similar strategies employed by major mining companies across Africa. In Zambia, international miners have successfully utilized colonial-era British Geological Survey records to identify extensions of known copper deposits. The approach has proven particularly effective in the Central African Copperbelt, where historical data helped guide discoveries that added over 2 million tonnes of copper equivalent resources in the past decade.
The outcome of Kobold's efforts to access Belgian archives could establish precedent for how colonial-era scientific data is managed and shared. If successful, the company would need to navigate Congolese regulatory requirements for exploration licenses, which currently involve lengthy approval processes through the Ministry of Mines and require partnerships with state-owned Gécamines for strategic deposits. The DRC government has signaled intentions to renegotiate terms with foreign miners to secure greater domestic processing capacity and technology transfer, factors that will likely influence any exploration program Kobold advances using the historical data.
As global demand for battery metals intensifies, competition for geological information and prospective ground in the DRC will likely increase. The resolution of data access questions between Belgium, Congo, and private exploration companies will shape future investment flows into one of the world's most critical mineral provinces.