Gécamines

Gécamines, or La Générale des Carrières et des Mines, is a state-owned mining company of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It operates under the authority of the Ministry of Mines and serves as the government's vehicle for managing state interests in the mining sector.

Established in 1966 after the nationalization of Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, Gécamines inherited control of the DRC’s key mineral assets in the southern Katanga region. The company is headquartered in Kinshasa and has historically been one of the country’s largest employers and revenue sources, playing a central role in national mining policy and resource management.

Its activities focus on the exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals, with copper and cobalt as its primary products. Gécamines holds equity stakes in several joint ventures with private firms to develop major deposits, including projects such as the Kamoto Copper Company and the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, both in the Katanga region.

Gécamines has faced significant financial and governance challenges, including periods of underinvestment and debt. Since the late 2000s, the government has pursued reforms intended to revive production, improve transparency, and increase state participation through partnerships with private investors and restructuring of its operations. The company remains a key element of the DRC’s strategy to leverage its mineral wealth while balancing public ownership with private-sector development.