Copper production in the country will reach 2.5 million tons per year by 2030, while cobalt production will double to 250,000 tons per year, driven by demand from electric vehicles and renewable technologies.
The DRC accounts for 70% of the world's cobalt production and is Africa's largest copper producer, thanks to mining operations in the Katanga province in the south of the country.
Sarens' presence in the country will contribute to local job creation and specialized training for high-capacity crane operators for the mining sector, especially in regions like Kolwezi and Lubumbashi.
The mining sector will remain one of the country's economic engines until 2030. According to forecasts from the World Bank and the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa (CEREK), annual copper production is set to reach 2.5 million tons within the next five years—up from 1.8 million tons produced in 2022. Meanwhile, annual cobalt production is expected to double to 250,000 tons, driven by increased demand from electric vehicle production and renewable technologies.
This significant production increase will also impact employment. The sector, which currently employs over 500,000 people, will need to create up to 200,000 additional jobs over the next five years, particularly in the Kolwezi and Lubumbashi regions. Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport, and crane rental services, has recently established operations in the area. The company brings its international expertise in job creation and training local personnel to operate high-capacity cranes. To this end, the international specialist now operates several all-terrain crane units in the region, ranging from 100 to 260 tons. These cranes will support the development of strategic projects while simultaneously contributing to the local economy by creating specialized jobs through training.
Recently, Sarens contributed to the development of the Kamoa Copper Mining Complex by installing three 220-ton furnaces and a 196-ton steam dryer using a Terex Demag CC2800-1 crane moved from Angola to Kolwezi. Phase 3 of the Kamoa Copper Smelter Project includes the commissioning of a 500,000-ton-per-year, on-site, direct-to-blister copper smelter that will increase Kamoa-Kakula’s annual copper production to a ten-year average of 650,000 tons. Sarens first became involved in the project in 2022, providing Kamoa Copper with valuable assistance during preliminary FEED studies.
Currently, the DRC is responsible for producing approximately 70% of the world's mined cobalt and is Africa's largest copper producer, with an export value that already exceeded $25 billion. Thus, the mining sector contributes approximately 18% of the country's GDP, a figure expected to grow to 25% by 2030.
According to Tim Biesemans, Sarens Regional Director-Southern Africa, “our company is fully committed to the economic and social development of our country. By establishing ourselves in the Copper Belt, we will actively collaborate on projects that positively impact the community, and through training, we will contribute to securing the future employment of the crane operators who work with us.”
Sarens has been present in the DRC since 2024, when it formalized its joint venture with DGC Africa, creating Sarens DGC SAS based in Kolwezi. Since then, it has had the opportunity to work on the development of mining projects such as Kamoa Copper. Furthermore, the company has operated in Zambia since 2018, with a presence in Chingola since 2020 to support mining project development within an approximate 300 km radius.
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