Omanghana
A dispute has emerged between U.S.-backed mining startup KoBold Metals and Belgium’s Royal Museum for Central Africa over access to historic geological records from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The archives, which date back to the Belgian colonial era, contain extensive information about the country’s mineral deposits and are considered one of the most detailed collections on the region’s natural resources.
KoBold Metals, a California-based company backed by prominent investors including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, specializes in using artificial intelligence to identify locations of critical minerals such as lithium, copper, and cobalt. The company is currently valued at close to $3 billion and has been expanding its exploration activities across Africa in search of resources vital for the global energy transition.
At the center of the disagreement are roughly 500 meters of shelving filled with maps, field notes, and geological surveys collected during Belgium’s colonial administration of the Congo. These documents are believed to contain detailed records of mineral discoveries and exploration conducted decades ago, making them potentially valuable for modern mining projects.
KoBold has offered to digitize the entire collection at its own cost, arguing that the process would accelerate mineral exploration and make the information more accessible for research and development. However, the AfricaMuseum and Belgian authorities have rejected the proposal, stating that the management and digitization of public scientific archives should not be delegated to a private company. Officials have also raised ethical and legal concerns about the control and use of historical data tied to the colonial period.
The dispute comes as KoBold strengthens its investment in the DRC. In July 2025, the company signed an agreement in principle with the Congolese government to invest more than $1 billion in mineral exploration, with a particular focus on the Manono lithium project, one of the world’s largest known lithium deposits.
The project has drawn strategic interest from the United States, which is seeking to secure supply chains for critical minerals used in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. Reducing reliance on minerals controlled or processed by China has become a major geopolitical priority for Western governments.
For now, Belgium plans to proceed with its own digitization effort. Authorities say the work will be carried out through a European Union–funded project that will gradually convert the archives into digital form. However, the process could take up to five years to complete, potentially delaying access to the valuable geological data.
Source: Omanghana
