[Ferro-Alloys.com] DRC plans US$100m manganese processing project

The Société commerciale La Minière de Kisenge Manganèse (SCMK-Mn), which the Congolese state owns fully, according to data from the Technical Unit for Mining Coordination and Planning (CTCPM), plans to move into local processing of manganese into electrolytic manganese dioxide (MnO?). Several battery and cell technologies use this chemical compound.

To realize this ambition, the company is seeking a private partner to develop an industrial unit at Kisenge, in Lualaba, under a public-private partnership (PPP), according to the project portfolio the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANAPI) published in July.

The company justifies the PPP route by its desire to combine public and private capacities. According to the document, this structure should bring together the agility and technological expertise of the private partner, which it deems necessary for a complex and risky industrial project to succeed.

The company estimates the total cost at $100 million. The envisaged partnership would run for between 20 and 30 years. Within this framework, the state company expects the interested partner to contribute to developing the industrial unit, on both financial and technical fronts. The project covers several stages, ranging from design and construction through to operation, maintenance and service management. The document does not specify, however, whether the feasibility studies or other technical studies the project requires have already been carried out.

SCMK-Mn in difficulty

This initiative comes as Kisenge Manganèse remains marked by a long period of weak activity. According to information several media outlets have reported, the company stopped production in the 1980s, after the interruption of the Dilolo-Lobito railway, which formed an essential route for shipping manganese to the Angolan port of Lobito.

Part of the manganese extracted in the past also reportedly still sits as stockpiles at Kisenge. In 2015, Radio Okapi, citing Jean Koj, then secretary of the general union delegation at Kisenge Manganèse, estimated these stockpiles at about 400,000 tonnes. Their removal then faced difficulties tied to rail transport. The resumption of rail traffic between Dilolo and Angola nonetheless allowed part of these stockpiles to move to the port of Lobito in 2018. More recently, provisional first-quarter 2026 data show 2,502.27 tonnes of manganese concentrate exported by the company.

By creating a processing unit, the project could let the company better capture global manganese demand, notably in segments tied to cells, batteries and energy storage. The project sheet stresses that the objective is to position the DRC in the global value chain for battery materials and to promote more sustainable industrialization.

This prospect also comes amid rising manganese concentrate prices. According to CTCPM data, the price of a tonne of 99.7% concentrate rose from $1,892 in January 2025 to $2,950 in March 2026, which strengthens the economic case for adding value to the ore locally rather than exporting it in a less processed form. A tonne of 55% manganese concentrate, by contrast, reportedly sells for around $50.

State Miner SCMK-Mn Plans $100 Million Manganese Dioxide Project in Kisenge

The state-owned Société commerciale La Minière de Kisenge Manganèse (SCMK-Mn) plans to produce electrolytic manganese dioxide (MnO?) from locally mined manganese, according to the Technical Unit for Mining Coordination and Planning (CTCPM). The company is wholly owned by the Congolese state. MnO? is used in several battery technologies.

To develop the project, SCMK-Mn is seeking a private partner to build an industrial processing plant in Kisenge, Lualaba province, under a public-private partnership (PPP), according to a project portfolio published by the National Agency for Investment Promotion (ANAPI).

The PPP structure is intended to combine public-sector resources with private-sector expertise. ANAPI says the model would draw on the private partner’s flexibility and technological expertise, seen as critical to delivering a complex, high-risk industrial project.

The project is estimated to cost $100 million. The proposed partnership would run for 20 to 30 years, with the private partner expected to provide both financing and technical expertise for the facility.

The partnership would cover several stages of the project, including design, construction, operation and maintenance. The document does not specify whether feasibility studies or other technical studies required for the project have already been completed.

SCMK-Mn Faces Difficulties

The initiative comes after decades of low activity at Kisenge Manganèse. According to reports by several media outlets, the company stopped production in the 1980s after the Dilolo-Lobito railway was disrupted. The line had been a key route for transporting manganese to Angola’s Port of Lobito.

Kisenge also holds manganese stockpiles accumulated from earlier mining operations. In 2015, Radio Okapi, citing Jean Koj, then secretary of the general union delegation at Kisenge Manganèse, estimated the stockpile at about 400,000 tons. At the time, poor rail links continued to hamper shipments.

When rail traffic between Dilolo and Angola resumed, part of the stockpile was transported to the Port of Lobito in 2018. More recently, provisional data for the first quarter of 2026 showed that the company exported 2,502.27 tons of manganese concentrate.

By developing a processing facility, SCMK-Mn could capture more value from manganese production, particularly in markets linked to batteries and energy storage. The project sheet also states that the goal is to position the Democratic Republic of Congo in the global battery materials value chain and support more sustainable industrial development.

The project also comes amid higher prices for some manganese products. According to CTCPM data, the price listed for 99.7% manganese concentrate rose from $1,892 per ton in January 2025 to $2,950 in March 2026. By comparison, 55% manganese concentrate was selling for about $50 per ton.

DRC Plans $100 Million Manganese Processing Project

State-owned SCMK-Mn plans to process manganese locally into electrolytic manganese dioxide (MnO?), a compound used in batteries.

The company seeks a private partner for a $100 million industrial unit at Kisenge, under a 20-to-30-year public-private partnership.

Manganese concentrate prices (99.7%) rose from $1,892 a tonne in January 2025 to $2,950 in March 2026, according to CTCPM data.

The Société commerciale La Minière de Kisenge Manganèse (SCMK-Mn), which the Congolese state owns fully, according to data from the Technical Unit for Mining Coordination and Planning (CTCPM), plans to move into local processing of manganese into electrolytic manganese dioxide (MnO?). Several battery and cell technologies use this chemical compound.

To realize this ambition, the company is seeking a private partner to develop an industrial unit at Kisenge, in Lualaba, under a public-private partnership (PPP), according to the project portfolio the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANAPI) published in July.

The company justifies the PPP route by its desire to combine public and private capacities. According to the document, this structure should bring together the agility and technological expertise of the private partner, which it deems necessary for a complex and risky industrial project to succeed.

The company estimates the total cost at $100 million. The envisaged partnership would run for between 20 and 30 years. Within this framework, the state company expects the interested partner to contribute to developing the industrial unit, on both financial and technical fronts. The project covers several stages, ranging from design and construction through to operation, maintenance and service management. The document does not specify, however, whether the feasibility studies or other technical studies the project requires have already been carried out.

SCMK-Mn in difficulty

This initiative comes as Kisenge Manganèse remains marked by a long period of weak activity. According to information several media outlets have reported, the company stopped production in the 1980s, after the interruption of the Dilolo-Lobito railway, which formed an essential route for shipping manganese to the Angolan port of Lobito.

Part of the manganese extracted in the past also reportedly still sits as stockpiles at Kisenge. In 2015, Radio Okapi, citing Jean Koj, then secretary of the general union delegation at Kisenge Manganèse, estimated these stockpiles at about 400,000 tonnes. Their removal then faced difficulties tied to rail transport. The resumption of rail traffic between Dilolo and Angola nonetheless allowed part of these stockpiles to move to the port of Lobito in 2018. More recently, provisional first-quarter 2026 data show 2,502.27 tonnes of manganese concentrate exported by the company.

By creating a processing unit, the project could let the company better capture global manganese demand, notably in segments tied to cells, batteries and energy storage. The project sheet stresses that the objective is to position the DRC in the global value chain for battery materials and to promote more sustainable industrialization.

This prospect also comes amid rising manganese concentrate prices. According to CTCPM data, the price of a tonne of 99.7% concentrate rose from $1,892 in January 2025 to $2,950 in March 2026, which strengthens the economic case for adding value to the ore locally rather than exporting it in a less processed form. A tonne of 55% manganese concentrate, by contrast, reportedly sells for around $50.

• [Editor:tianyawei]