By Rodrigue Forku
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AA) - The Carter Center on Tuesday called on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to create conditions conducive for local processing of minerals to the benefit of locals.
It came on the third anniversary of a revised mining code, which enshrined the obligation to process minerals on the territory of the DRC. The new law increases taxes on mining firms and increases government royalties on all minerals.
The code granted holders of mining or quarry rights three years to comply with this obligation.
The Carter Center said the anniversary should be an opportunity for the Congolese government to assess challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the provisions relating to the local mineral processing.
The statement said that over the past three years, however, little progress has been made in this direction.
Fabien Mayani, the Center's Extractive Industries Governance program director, said, "Little attention is paid to the implementation of the local mineral processing process, which is nevertheless one of the main means by which the Congolese economy."
The DRC is Africa’s top copper producer and the world’s leading miner of cobalt. Its mining industry, which also produces diamond, tantalum, tin and gold, is the country's largest source of export income.