Congo pauses cobalt shipments for four months to ease oversupply

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s largest producer of cobalt, has suspended cobalt exports for four months to address an oversupply in the global market. The government plans to use the pause to assess existing inventories and better control export volumes going forward. This move could impact global supply chains, particularly for battery and electric vehicle manufacturers that rely on cobalt.

Source: adapted from Reuters, February 2025.