For decades, mining was treated as a cyclical, capital-intensive “old economy” sector.

In 2026, that narrative no longer holds.

From Washington’s Project Vault to the Lobito Corridor, mining now sits at the intersection of energy transition, geopolitics, and national security.

But behind the headlines, one constraint remains decisive: capital.

In this episode, we sit down with Bertrand Troiano, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting in New York, to unpack what really drives financing decisions in today’s mining sector — beyond the narratives, and into the mechanics of bankability.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Whether mining has shifted from a market-driven industry to a state-driven strategic sector

• What truly makes a project “bankable” in 2026

• The tension between ESG requirements and access to capital for African players

• How geopolitical initiatives like Project Vault and the Lobito Corridor are reshaping risk

• The reality behind local beneficiation — and when it actually becomes financeable

• Why many mining projects fail financially… and what could be done differently

A conversation at the crossroads of capital markets, industrial strategy, and global power dynamics — for anyone trying to understand how mining projects actually get financed today.

Video version here: https://youtu.be/IZiAGX_o-Lw

#BeyondTheMine #Mining #CriticalMinerals #ProjectFinance #Geopolitics #Africa #EnergyTransition #ESG #Bankability #ResponsibleMining

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Alors que la République Démocratique du Congo s’impose comme un acteur clé des chaînes de valeur des minerais critiques, cet épisode met en lumière une dimension encore trop souvent reléguée au second plan : l’impact social de l’industrie minière.

Nous recevons Maître Alice Mirimo Kabetsi, Administrateur Directeur Général du Fonds National de Promotion et de Service Social (FNPSS), au cœur des mécanismes de gouvernance sociale du secteur minier congolais.

Nous abordons avec elle les questions suivantes :

• Pourquoi les mécanismes sociaux sont devenus incontournables dans les pays miniers africains

• Les réalités derrière les dispositifs existants (dotation de 0,3 %, cahiers de charges, redevance minière)

• Dans quelle mesure ces outils permettent réellement une redistribution équitable de la richesse minière

• Le rôle structurant du FNPSS dans le suivi, le contrôle et l’évaluation de l’impact social des projets miniers

• Pourquoi le principal défi aujourd’hui réside dans l’application effective des mécanismes existants

• Comment le programme PABEA-Cobalt redéfinit les approches d’intervention sociale, de l’éradication du travail des enfants à la création d’alternatives économiques durables

• La place de la RDC dans les standards internationaux de chaînes d’approvisionnement responsables

Un épisode au croisement des enjeux miniers, sociaux et de gouvernance, pour comprendre comment transformer la richesse minière en progrès tangible pour les communautés — et poser les bases d’une souveraineté minière véritablement inclusive.

Lien de l’épisode sur Youtube : https://youtu.be/ztT8eQFbKKw

#BeyondTheMine #RDC #MiningAfrica #ImpactSocial #ESG #FNPSS #PABEACobalt #TransitionÉnergétique #SouverainetéMinière #ResponsibleMining

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Alors que la République Démocratique du Congo se positionne au cœur des chaînes de valeur critiques de la transition énergétique, cet épisode donne la parole au Professeur Jean-Marie Kanda, Conseiller Principal du Chef de l’État (Collège Mines, Énergie et Hydrocarbures), administrateur du Conseil Congolais de la Batterie et ancien directeur du Centre Africain d’Excellence pour les Batteries (CAEB).

Nous abordons avec lui les questions suivantes :

• Que peut-on réellement attendre du pacte stratégique signé avec les États-Unis ?

• La RDC doit-elle rester un simple fournisseur de minerais ou devenir un acteur industriel à part entière ?

• Quel rôle pour les entreprises locales dans des projets stratégiques ?

• Où en est la stratégie batterie congolaise ? Quels liens avec la formation, la recherche, et la coopération régionale ?

• Sept ans après, que penser de la révision du Code minier de 2018 ?

• À quoi pourrait ressembler une filière congolaise des batteries crédible à horizon 2035 ?

Un épisode au croisement des enjeux miniers, industriels et géopolitiques, pour mieux comprendre comment la RDC peut construire une souveraineté minière responsable et transformative.

#BeyondTheMine #Batteries #RDC #TransitionÉnergétique #SouverainetéIndustrielle #JeanMarieKanda #MiningAfrica #ESG #CodeMinier #CAEB #Compliance #StrategicMetals

For more content produced by Innogence Consulting on the mining industry, please visit:

• This episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bdcpjmfwdvI

• DRC's mining industry main news: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/drc-s-mining-industy-main-news-7091429259746910208/

• The DRC Mining industry 2025 report: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7380221664636116993/?actorCompanyId=10577467

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Industrial Sovereignty and Global Compliance: Rethinking Africa’s Mining Future

Across Africa, the conversation around mining is shifting. Countries want more than extraction — they want industrial sovereignty, value creation at home, and stronger governance over their mineral wealth. At the same time, the global landscape is tightening: new ESG requirements, due-diligence laws, and compliance standards from the EU, US, and OECD are reshaping how minerals must be produced, traced, and transformed.

In this episode, we sit with two exceptional voices to unpack this delicate balance:

• Lucie Dzongang — Business lawyer, member of the New York, Paris and Cameroon Bars, and expert in ESG, compliance, and governance.
• Dr. Armand Ngansop — Metallurgical engineer and founder of CTID Consulting, advising African governments and private companies on local content, industrialization, and mineral value addition.

Together, we explore:

• Can Africa build local processing and industrial capacity while meeting increasingly strict global compliance rules?

• What does “responsible industrial sovereignty” look like in today’s geopolitical context?

• How can governments design policies that encourage local value creation without discouraging investment?

• What lessons can be drawn from other African countries that have begun modernizing and securing their mineral value chains?

• And how can the continent reconcile ambition, competitiveness, and global expectations?

This is a deep, honest, and forward-looking conversation about the future of Africa’s mining sector — where local aspirations meet global constraints, and where governance becomes as strategic as geology.

Welcome to Beyond the Mine — the podcast that gives a voice to the thinkers, doers, and shapers of Africa’s mining future.

For more content produced by Innogence Consulting on the mining industry, please visit:

• This episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/uzo02gLQjvM

• DRC's mining industry main news: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/drc-s-mining-industy-main-news-7091429259746910208/

• The DRC Mining industry 2025 report: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7380221664636116993/?actorCompanyId=10577467

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Eddy Kioni, an entrepreneur and strategist leading Buenassa, a Congolese company working at the crossroads of mining, trading, and industrial sovereignty.

Together, we unpack:

• Buenassa’s growing role in the regional battery value chain, including partnerships and positioning around DRC-Zambia’s battery precursor ambitions

• How the company aligns its growth with the evolving Kinshasa–Washington relationship, and what recent security deal (U.S.–RDC) mean for industrial actors

• ESG and local development: Buenassa’s approach to supplier inclusion, environmental standards, and talent development in mining-adjacent sectors

• Sovereignty through industry: Kioni’s broader vision for Congolese control over mining, refining, and the future of electric mobility

• What it really takes to build a Congolese-led industrial player in a landscape often dominated by foreign majors

Why It Matters

This episode dives into one of the most pressing questions of our time: how can African companies lead in the global energy transition? Eddy Kioni offers bold insights into value creation, partnerships, and the long game for Congolese industry.

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We sit down with Romain Battajon, a respected French lawyer with over two decades of expertise in business and mining law—practicing in Paris and Kinshasa, and co-founder of the ABLE Pan-African legal network. He held senior roles including ERG Africa’s General Counsel and currently chairs the Chamber of Mines’ Legal Commission.

Our wide-ranging conversation explores:

• Urgent reforms needed in DRC mining law, including harmonization with environmental, fiscal, and customs codes, and his views on a single regulatory authority.

• Battajon’s journey from Paris to Kinshasa, building legal expertise and shaping investment frameworks across Africa.

• Corporate governance and transparency challenges in the mining sector—insights on reducing administrative harassment and ensuring consistency across regulatory agencies.

• His vision for the future of Congolese mining law, in line with the global push toward sustainable and sovereign resource management.

Why You Should Listen

This episode provides a rare insider’s view of how legal structure shapes the mining investment climate in the DRC—and what steps are urgently needed to attract long-term, responsible capital.

Whether you're an investor, policymaker, legal professional, or simply interested in African resources, this conversation offers essential clarity on the legal backbone of Africa’s mining transition.

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Join the conversation with Joachim Nzuzi, a key executive at ERG Africa, where he provides a deep dive into the company’s flagship operations in the DRC and their long‑term industrial vision.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Frontier Mine: ERG’s cornerstone copper operation near the Zambia border, producing up to 370,000 t/year sulfur concentrate, with ongoing expansion to extend its lifespan via Cut‑3 and future Cut‑4 phases.

• Metalkol RTR: One of the world’s largest cobalt producers and a major copper generator—an innovative tailings reprocessing project that closes the loop on legacy waste while meeting global.

• ESG & Local Development: How ERG embeds international frameworks—Clean Cobalt & Copper standards, OECD, CopperMark—into site-level practice including community investments, training, and formal cahiers de charge for Lualaba’s.

• Long-term DRC Commitment: Joachim discusses ERG’s multi-billion-dollar investment, local capacity-building, supplier development, youth training via Dilala Centre, and alignment with national industrial goals.

  
  

Why It Matters

This candid conversation reveals how ERG Africa positions itself not just as a resource extractor, but as a strategic partner in the DRC’s industrial transformation. Whether you're an industry stakeholder, policymaker, or sustainability analyst, you'll gain actionable insights on:

• Mining operational strategy in critical minerals

• ESG execution at scale

• Community-first industrial models

• African battery metals’ geopolitics and sovereignty

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