Democratic Republic of Congo has shifted from price-taker to price-setter in cobalt by imposing ARECOMS-managed export quotas and planning state stockpiles of cobalt, coltan and germanium. Cobalt prices have climbed from about $21,000/t in early 2025 to just over $56,000/t, with Kinshasa forecasting $2.3 billion in fiscal revenues this year versus an estimated $617 million without intervention. Advisory input from Vectus Global and new investment moves such as Virtus Minerals’ acquisition of Chemaf signal tighter supply discipline and a push for higher value-added partnerships.

Kazakhstan is racing to digitise a vast Soviet-era geological archive, with 1960s seismic data still stored on magnetic tape that can only be read on perhaps three surviving machines using playback needles no longer manufactured since the Brezhnev era. The National Geological Service aims to convert millions of pages of hand-drawn, non-standardised maps into polygons, vectors and points for AI-driven targeting of critical minerals, while also restating Soviet GKZ-classified reserves into KAZRC, JORC or NI 43‑101, with only about 143 of 400–500 major deposits converted so far. More than US$17 billion in recent US–Kazakh trade and investment deals, plus a new memorandum with Saudi Arabia, signal that access to this “pre-paid exploration” data is becoming a key competitive factor for mid-tier and junior explorers.

KEFI Gold and Copper has appointed BCM International as mining contractor for the Tulu Kapi Gold Project in Ethiopia, clearing the way to order a Caterpillar mobile fleet under the project’s largest operational contract. The agreement covers open-pit mining services for the planned c.140,000 oz/y operation, integrating Cat haul trucks and loaders with BCM’s existing East African support network. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, the early lock-in of a standardised Cat fleet will drive pit design, haul road geometry, equipment productivity assumptions and maintenance infrastructure layout.