Who Leads Congo (DRC)?

Leadership

Félix Tshisekedi

President of Congo (DRC)

Political Party

UDPS

Inaugurated

Jan 24, 2019

Term Ends

2028

Next Election

2028

Born

Jun 13, 1963 in Kinshasa, DRC

Country Population

102M

Continent

Africa

Felix Tshisekedi became president in January 2019, marking the first peaceful transfer of power in the country's history. The son of legendary opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, he won re-election in 2023. He has grappled with the ongoing security crisis in eastern Congo, where armed groups continue to destabilize the region.

Government

Capital

Kinshasa

Official Language(s)

French

Currency

Congolese Franc (CDF)

Government Type

Presidential Republic

Area

2,344,858 km²

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's second-largest country, rich in minerals including cobalt, copper, and coltan essential for modern electronics. Despite its immense natural wealth, decades of conflict and misgovernance have left it one of the poorest nations. The Congo River basin contains the world's second-largest rainforest. Kinshasa is the largest French-speaking city in the world.

The DRC is a presidential republic. Félix Tshisekedi of the UDPS party won the 2018 election (in a disputed result) and was re-elected in December 2023 with 73% of the vote in a result opposition parties also disputed. Tshisekedi is the son of veteran opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi, who fought for democracy for decades but died before seeing his son win the presidency. The DRC is Africa's most complex governance challenge: the country has approximately 100 million people across a territory the size of Western Europe, with minimal road infrastructure, hundreds of active armed groups in the east, and a history of profound corruption and state failure. The National Assembly has 500 seats.

Economic Snapshot

GDP

$65.2B

GDP Per Capita

$630

Income Group

Low income

Trade Balance

Variable; minerals create surplus potential but smuggling is massive

Inflation

19.9% (INS, 2023)

The DRC is the ultimate example of the resource curse: a country with extraordinary natural wealth that has produced some of the world's worst human development outcomes. Belgian colonial rule (the Congo Free State under King Leopold II was one of history's most brutal colonial regimes, responsible for millions of deaths in rubber extraction) established a pattern of resource extraction without development that successive governments have never fully broken. Post-independence dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (1965-1997) renamed the country Zaire and ran it as a personal fiefdom until Laurent-Désiré Kabila's forces overthrew him. The current cobalt crisis for the global EV industry is the DRC story in microcosm. The world needs DRC cobalt to build EV batteries. But DRC cobalt mining involves child labor in artisanal operations, armed group financing, environmental destruction, and minimal revenue for the Congolese state. Major technology and automotive companies (Apple, Tesla, Samsung) have faced pressure to audit their cobalt supply chains. The DRC government has attempted to assert more control through state mining company Gécamines and by renegotiating contracts with Chinese mining companies. China has the dominant position in DRC cobalt through its companies CMOC, Huayou Cobalt, and others. Eastern DRC's perpetual conflict has no simple resolution. The region's mineral wealth, the weakness of the Congolese state, the involvement of neighboring Rwanda and Uganda in armed groups and minerals smuggling, and the ethnic complexity of the Great Lakes region have created a conflict ecosystem that has resisted decades of peace agreements and UN peacekeeping. The M23 seizure of Goma in January 2025 represented another escalation in a pattern that has repeated since the First Congo War (1996).

Major Industries

• Cobalt Mining (world's largest producer: ~70% of global reserves)
• Copper Mining
• Coltan/Tantalum Mining (essential for electronics)
• Gold Mining
• Diamond Mining
• Agriculture (cassava, palm oil)
• Forestry

Congo (DRC) is known for: The DRC holds approximately 70% of the world's cobalt reserves, the mineral essential for lithium-ion battery cathodes used in electric vehicles. Major global EV manufacturers (Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen) and battery makers (CATL, LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI) depend on DRC cobalt. The DRC is also the world's largest coltan producer; coltan contains tantalum, essential for capacitors in smartphones, computers, and electronics.

Trade Profile

The DRC's official trade data significantly understates actual mineral exports due to massive smuggling. Gold, cobalt, and diamonds are routinely exported through Uganda, Rwanda, and other neighbors without appearing in official statistics. The gap between the DRC's mineral wealth and government revenues is one of the world's most extreme examples of resource misappropriation.

Top Exports

• Cobalt
• Copper
• Coltan/Tantalum
• Gold
• Diamonds
• Timber (partially illegal)

Top Imports

• Petroleum
• Machinery
• Consumer goods
• Food
• Vehicles
• Medicines

Export Destinations

• China
• South Africa
• Belgium
• South Korea

Import Partners

• China
• South Africa
• Zambia
• Belgium

The world depends on Congo (DRC) for: Cobalt (70% of global reserves; EV battery supply chain), coltan/tantalum (electronics), copper, and Congo Basin climate services

Congo (DRC) depends on the world for: Petroleum, food, consumer goods, machinery, and humanitarian aid

Global Role

The DRC's global significance is defined by cobalt (70% of global reserves; the EV battery supply chain cannot function without DRC cobalt), the ongoing humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC, the Congo Basin rainforest (critical climate sink), and the M23 conflict escalation.

• Approximately 70% of world cobalt reserves are in the DRC; without DRC cobalt there is no electric vehicle battery supply chain
• The Congo Basin is the world's second-largest tropical rainforest; the DRC stores approximately 8% of all terrestrial carbon
• Eastern DRC has experienced the world's longest ongoing armed conflict; an estimated 6 million people have been killed since 1996 in what some call 'Africa's World War'
• The M23 rebel group (backed by Rwanda, per UN experts) seized Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in January 2025, intensifying a decades-long conflict
• Child labor in artisanal cobalt mining has been documented by NGOs; a significant share of artisanal cobalt production involves children
• The Inga Falls on the Congo River have the world's largest untapped hydropower potential, estimated at 100,000 MW
• DRC has approximately 100 million people and is expected to be one of the world's most populous countries by 2100

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the current President of the DRC?

Félix Tshisekedi has been President since January 24, 2019, winning the 2018 election (in disputed circumstances) and re-elected in December 2023. He is the son of iconic Congolese opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi, who fought for democracy for decades but died in 2017 before his son could win the presidency. Despite his democratic credentials, Tshisekedi has struggled to assert state authority over eastern DRC's chronic instability.

Why is the DRC so important for electric vehicles?

The DRC holds approximately 70% of the world's cobalt reserves, and cobalt is a key component in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs, smartphones, and laptops. Without DRC cobalt, the current EV battery supply chain cannot function at scale. Major producers including CMOC (China), Glencore (Switzerland), and others mine cobalt in the DRC's Katanga Province. Child labor in artisanal mining has been a persistent concern for EV companies.

What is happening in eastern DRC?

Eastern DRC (North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri provinces) has experienced persistent armed conflict since the mid-1990s, driven by ethnic tensions, competition for mineral resources, and the involvement of neighboring countries. The M23 rebel group, which UN experts say is backed by Rwanda, seized Goma (eastern DRC's largest city) in January 2025 in a major escalation. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced. Various peace agreements and UN peacekeeping operations have failed to achieve stability.

Related Countries

• China: Dominant mining investor (CMOC, Huayou Cobalt); largest trade partner; cobalt off-take agreements
• Rwanda: UN experts say Rwanda backs M23 rebels in eastern DRC; significant bilateral tension
• Angola: Southern neighbor; SADC partner
• South Africa: SADC partner; SADF deployed in DRC stabilization; major trade partner
• Belgium: Former colonial power (Belgian Congo); Antwerp diamond trading link
• Zambia: Shares the Copperbelt; major trade and mining relationship