From Concept to Reality: Assessing the
Democratic Republic of Congo's Iron Ore Plan
The Democratic Republic of Congo is setting out a massive iron ore development designed to move the country into a new mining league. The project, known as Mines de Fer de la Grande Orientale (MIFOR), is based on iron ore resources estimated at between 15 and 20 billion tonnes in the country’s northeastern region, a scale that places it among the largest undeveloped deposits globally.
Government presentations describe MIFOR as far more than a mining operation. The plan outlines an integrated system combining large-scale extraction with new rail infrastructure, river transport along the Congo, and a connection to the future deep-water port at Banana on the Atlantic coast. If delivered as envisioned, it would mark a major shift for a country whose mining sector remains heavily concentrated on copper and cobalt.
The first phase of the project is estimated at $28.9 billion, with initial production targets of around 50 million tonnes of iron ore per year. Longer-term ambitions are even larger, with officials citing potential output of up to 300 million tonnes annually and substantial revenues over a 25-year period. However, many fundamentals remain unresolved.
There is no publicly available feasibility study, financing structure or confirmed investor group, and current figures are based on resource estimates rather than proven reserves. The project also revives elements of earlier export plans that stalled amid political and legal complications.
For now, MIFOR stands as a bold statement of intent. Whether it becomes a cornerstone of Congo’s industrial transformation will depend on execution, funding and sustained investor confidence in the years ahead.
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