Join the conversation with Joachim Nzuzi, a key executive at ERG Africa, where he provides a deep dive into the company’s flagship operations in the DRC and their long‑term industrial vision. In this episode, we unpack: Frontier Mine: ERG’s cornerstone copper operation near the Zambia border, producing up to 370,000 t/year sulfur concentrate, with ongoing expansion to extend its lifespan via Cut‑3 and future Cut‑4 phases. Metalkol RTR: One of the world’s largest cobalt producers and a major copper generator—an innovative tailings reprocessing project that closes the loop on legacy waste while meeting global. ESG & Local Development: How ERG embeds international frameworks—Clean Cobalt & Copper standards, OECD, CopperMark—into site-level practice including community investments, training, and formal cahiers de charge for Lualaba’s. Long-term DRC Commitment: Joachim discusses ERG’s multi-billion-dollar investment, local capacity-building, supplier development, youth training via Dilala Centre, and alignment with national industrial goals. Why It Matters This candid conversation reveals how ERG Africa positions itself not just as a resource extractor, but as a strategic partner in the DRC’s industrial transformation. Whether you're an industry stakeholder, policymaker, or sustainability analyst, you'll gain actionable insights on: Mining operational strategy in critical minerals ESG execution at scale Community-first industrial models African battery metals’ geopolitics and sovereignty Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We sit down with Romain Battajon, a respected French lawyer with over two decades of expertise in business and mining law—practicing in Paris and Kinshasa, and co-founder of the ABLE Pan-African legal network. He held senior roles including ERG Africa’s General Counsel and currently chairs the Chamber of Mines’ Legal Commission. Our wide-ranging conversation explores: Urgent reforms needed in DRC mining law, including harmonization with environmental, fiscal, and customs codes, and his views on a single regulatory authority. Battajon’s journey from Paris to Kinshasa, building legal expertise and shaping investment frameworks across Africa. Corporate governance and transparency challenges in the mining sector—insights on reducing administrative harassment and ensuring consistency across regulatory agencies. His vision for the future of Congolese mining law, in line with the global push toward sustainable and sovereign resource management. Why You Should Listen This episode provides a rare insider’s view of how legal structure shapes the mining investment climate in the DRC—and what steps are urgently needed to attract long-term, responsible capital. Whether you're an investor, policymaker, legal professional, or simply interested in African resources, this conversation offers essential clarity on the legal backbone of Africa’s mining transition. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Eddy Kioni, an entrepreneur and strategist leading Buenassa, a Congolese company working at the crossroads of mining, trading, and industrial sovereignty. Together, we unpack: Buenassa’s growing role in the regional battery value chain, including partnerships and positioning around DRC-Zambia’s battery precursor ambitions How the company aligns its growth with the evolving Kinshasa–Washington relationship, and what recent security deal (U.S.–RDC) mean for industrial actors ESG and local development: Buenassa’s approach to supplier inclusion, environmental standards, and talent development in mining-adjacent sectors Sovereignty through industry: Kioni’s broader vision for Congolese control over mining, refining, and the future of electric mobility What it really takes to build a Congolese-led industrial player in a landscape often dominated by foreign majors Why It Matters This episode dives into one of the most pressing questions of our time: how can African companies lead in the global energy transition? Eddy Kioni offers bold insights into value creation, partnerships, and the long game for Congolese industry. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Industrial Sovereignty and Global Compliance: Rethinking Africa’s Mining Future Across Africa, the conversation around mining is shifting. Countries want more than extraction — they want industrial sovereignty, value creation at home, and stronger governance over their mineral wealth. At the same time, the global landscape is tightening: new ESG requirements, due-diligence laws, and compliance standards from the EU, US, and OECD are reshaping how minerals must be produced, traced, and transformed. In this episode, we sit with two exceptional voices to unpack this delicate balance: • Lucie Dzongang — Business lawyer, member of the New York, Paris and Cameroon Bars, and expert in ESG, compliance, and governance. • Dr. Armand Ngansop — Metallurgical engineer and founder of CTID Consulting, advising African governments and private companies on local content, industrialization, and mineral value addition. Together, we explore: Can Africa build local processing and industrial capacity while meeting increasingly strict global compliance rules? What does “responsible industrial sovereignty” look like in today’s geopolitical context? How can governments design policies that encourage local value creation without discouraging investment? What lessons can be drawn from other African countries that have begun modernizing and securing their mineral value chains? And how can the continent reconcile ambition, competitiveness, and global expectations? This is a deep, honest, and forward-looking conversation about the future of Africa’s mining sector — where local aspirations meet global constraints, and where governance becomes as strategic as geology. Welcome to Beyond the Mine — the podcast that gives a voice to the thinkers, doers, and shapers of Africa’s mining future. For more content produced by Innogence Consulting on the mining industry, please visit: This episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/uzo02gLQjvM DRC's mining industry main news: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/drc-s-mining-industy-main-news-7091429259746910208/ (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/drc-s-mining-industy-main-news-7091429259746910208/) The DRC Mining industry 2025 report: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7380221664636116993/?actorCompanyId=10577467 (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7380221664636116993/?actorCompanyId=10577467) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.