DRC: Looking to Capitalize on Katanga's Wealth

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) minister of mines on April 11 announced a ban on the export of concentrated mineral products from the country's southeastern Katanga province. The next day, the DRC's finance minister said the country must crack down harder on the smuggling of Katangan minerals into Zambia. The announcement of the ban and the finance minister's comments indicate the DRC's central government is working to overcome difficulties posed by geography to capitalize on the mineral wealth found in Katanga.