Ahead of the DRC Mining Week, a major mining event bringing together various stakeholders in the sector, Target Sarl convened with the local press to share the results of a survey on Congolese citizens’ views on the mining sector.

The Arrupe Center for Research and Training in the city of Lubumbashi, in the Haut-Katanga province, served as the venue for this press briefing held on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

During the briefing, the General Manager of Target Sarl first explained the context in which the survey was conducted. “In recent months, several significant initiatives have come to light, including international collaborations in the mining sector and large infrastructure projects, such as the Lobito Corridor, aimed at improving regional trade links,” he explained to the media professionals.

Conducted between May 22 and June 3, 2025, this survey was carried out via telephone (CATI) across eight major provinces of the DRC (Kongo-Central, Equateur, Kasaï Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Province Orientale) with 1,540 participants. The aim was to gather citizens’ opinions on the following key topics:

• Perception of the mining sector’s development
• Level of information, opinions, and expectations regarding the mining partnership between the United States and the DRC, as well as the Lobito Corridor project.

For Serge Mumbu, the results of this study will help understand the public’s level of knowledge and trust in these initiatives and better grasp citizens’ expectations or concerns about the future of this sector, which is crucial to the country’s economy.

He emphasized that there is a general information gap regarding the mining sector among the Congolese population. He urged that the key stakeholders (government, mining companies, local communities, etc.) address this gap to improve perceptions of the sector’s impact on the national economy and local populations’ living conditions.

In general, only 12% of respondents believe that the mining industry is heading in the right direction, while 35% feel it is heading in the wrong direction. 54% were undecided, indicating a lack of awareness regarding the sector’s current affairs and challenges.

Positive opinions were primarily based on a perceived general improvement in the sector and increased attractiveness, especially due to the agreement with the United States. On the other hand, negative opinions centered around the fact that the population does not benefit from the sector’s proceeds and that mining activities contribute to conflict and insecurity in the country.

As for knowledge of the mining cooperation project between the DRC and the USA, 44% of respondents said they were aware of the agreement, with the figure rising to 51% among men. Awareness was higher in Kasaï Oriental (55%) and South Kivu (51%), while other provinces were closer to the national average. Awareness of this cooperation project was particularly low among younger individuals (21%), but it increased with age, reaching 61% among those aged 65 and older.

The Lobito Corridor project remains largely unknown to most Congolese citizens, with only 27% of respondents having heard of it. Again, men (32%) were better informed than women (12%), and awareness increased with age. Kasaï Oriental (36%) and Katanga (33%) had relatively high levels of awareness compared to other regions.

Following the presentation of the key findings, journalists posed a range of insightful questions, sparking enriching discussions. It is worth noting that Target Sarl will be participating in the DRC Mining Week, scheduled from June 11 to June 13, 2025, through its General Manager.

The full study can be accessed by filling out the following link: https://urlr.me/bWHG5M or by directly contacting the company at: info@target-sarl.cd