Spanning over six Central African countries—principally the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea.
- Central African Copperbelt
- Cobalt: The DRC holds more than 60% of the world’s known cobalt reserves and regularly supplies over 70% of global annual production, making it indispensable for lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
- Copper: The region contains massive, high-grade deposits of copper, vital for global electrical grids, electric vehicles (EVs), and green infrastructure.
- Three Ts in the Region
- Tantalum: Vital for capacitors in smartphones and aerospace electronics.
- Tin: Used as primary solder in electronic circuit boards.
- Tungsten: Prize-worthy for industrial-grade, high-density machinery.
- High-Value Commodities
- Diamonds & Gold: Alluvial diamond fields populate northern DRC and the Central African Republic, alongside deep-vein gold deposits along the Albertine Rift.
- Iron Ore: Gabon and Cameroon contain vast, largely untapped high-grade iron ore reserves (such as the Belinga deposit in Gabon), drawing heavy infrastructure investments for steel production.
- Manganese: Gabon is one of the world’s top three producers of high-grade manganese, essential for global steel alloys.
- Crude Oil: Deposited heavily along coastal maritime zones (Gabon, Republic of Congo) and within the interior Albertine Graben rift system.
Source: The Hindu