Katanga CopperbeltDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Sustainably produced cobalt and copper from the heart of the Katanga Copperbelt — supplying the minerals that power the US energy transition, defense, and advanced manufacturing.
About
Diesel Mining Katanga (DMK) is an American-owned and operated mining company built on a combined 70+ years of experience in the DRC, conducting exploration, mining, processing, and exportation of critical minerals in the Katanga Copperbelt — one of the world's richest mineral corridors.
Founded and led by American principals, DMK brings US standards of governance, safety, and operational transparency to the heart of Central Africa. Our American ownership means our buyers benefit from the accountability, contractual reliability, and ethical frameworks they expect from a US-based enterprise.
Our speciality is the sustainable, responsible production of cobalt and copper — two minerals critical to the US energy transition, national security, and domestic manufacturing supply chains.
Leadership
DMK was founded and is led by three principals with deep experience in frontier market operations, mineral extraction, and supply chain development across Central Africa.
Michael served on both active and reserve duty with the U.S. Marine Corps for 24 years, retiring as a CWO3. He did tours in various types of units to include logistical support, air delivery, Marine Security Guard Battalion (Tunisia and France), and the infantry (2d Bn/25th Mar during GWOT in Iraq). He was a licensed Physical Therapist in the State of New York for 10 years, serving 5 of those years as a Program Director for both Neurovascular and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, and co-owns an environmental consulting firm specializing in asbestos and mold contamination in the greater New York City area. His African mining experience spans over a decade in Democratic Republic of the Congo, encompassing static and mobile security of copper and cobalt haul routes and remote drilling sites, truck haulage of copper, cobalt, mine support materials, and abnormal loads, and the acquisition and exploration of critical mineral concessions.
Greg served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1990 to 1995, including assignments with 2nd SRIG, the 6th and 8th Marine Regiments, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC), and Marine Security Guard postings in Tunisia and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Following his military service, he spent a decade as Director of Operations for London Jewelers before moving into international mining and commodity trading as Country Director for AMEROPA AG in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 2011 he has co-founded and managed multiple ventures across mining, security consulting, and environmental services, building a reputation for operational excellence, strategic leadership, and deep expertise in African mining jurisdictions, particularly within the critical minerals sector.
Mbomb holds degrees in geology and law bringing over 30 years of experience in environmental impact studies, exploration, mine planning, mining operations, plant processing, and metallurgy. He is deeply respected within the mining and exploration community as well as among local communities; he is one of only a handful of geologists authorized by the Division of Mines to certify environmental impact studies and exploration plans and he serves as the president of the Lunda people of the Divar tribe in the Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces, a role that positions him as the traditional leader of the Lunda lands across modern-day DRC, Zambia, and Angola. Mbomb sponsors two schools—covering preschool through high school—and a technical college in Lubumbashi for families unable to afford fees (the DRC government does not fund education). He also owns several businesses in Lubumbashi and Kolwezi, including restaurants, markets, and farms.
Mission
DMK is an American-owned and operated mining company whose founders have close to 20 years of continuous presence in the DRC. While others have entered and exited the region, they have stayed — building the relationships, infrastructure, and institutional knowledge that only comes from continued presence on the ground.
With cobalt demand forecast to triple by 2050 — driven by EV batteries, aerospace, and defense — and 76% of global supply originating from the DRC, the case for a trusted American operator in the Katanga Copperbelt has never been stronger. DMK is that operator.
Operating in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) demands more than just capital. It requires deep local relationships, on-the-ground expertise, and years of hard-won experience navigating one of the world's most complex yet rewarding mining environments. That knowledge is not transferable — it is built day by day, site by site. It is what the founders of DMK have spent decades accumulating, and what sets us apart from newcomers to the region.
We hold ourselves to the standards of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and the Cobalt Institute's responsible sourcing framework — producing minerals that meet the traceability and environmental requirements of the world's most demanding supply chains, while generating real value for our employees, partners, investors, and host communities.
Cobalt & Copper
The DRC produces 76% of global mined cobalt — a mineral the US government has designated as critical to national security, defense, and the energy transition. As an American-owned operator in the Katanga Copperbelt, DMK provides US buyers, manufacturers, and government partners with a trusted, accountable source of responsibly produced cobalt and copper, free from the opacity that characterizes much of the region's supply.
Atomic No. 27 · Critical Mineral · Energy Transition Metal
DMK produces cobalt both as a by-product of our copper operations and through dedicated cobalt extraction programs. Every metric ton we produce is traceable and certified, meeting the standards demanded by global battery and technology supply chains.
Atomic No. 29 · Critical Mineral · Energy Transition Metal
Our operations produce high-grade copper ore across multiple licensed concessions, traceable to origin and meeting the specifications of global industrial buyers.
As an American-owned company, DMK applies US standards of governance and due diligence to our operations in the DRC. We align with the Cobalt Institute's Responsible Sourcing framework and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) — the same standard adopted by 82% of global refined cobalt supply — giving American buyers, defense contractors, and EV manufacturers a fully traceable, conflict-free supply chain they can stand behind.
Katanga Copperbelt
The Katanga Copperbelt sits in the south-eastern corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces (formerly the Katanga province) — a geological formation stretching across the DRC and into Zambia that holds some of the largest and highest-grade copper and cobalt deposits ever discovered on Earth. The Katanga Copperbelt is renowned for copper mining, sitting at the center of one of the world's largest global reserves of copper — the DRC's reserves rank among the top few worldwide, about one-third the size of the Chilean reserve.
The region's extraordinary mineral wealth is the product of ancient geological processes: Neoproterozoic sedimentary rock formations, laid down over 500 million years ago, were subjected to intense tectonic compression that concentrated copper, cobalt, and associated minerals into ore bodies of exceptional grade and scale. The result is a region where copper grades regularly exceed those found anywhere else in the world, and where cobalt occurs naturally alongside copper at commercially viable concentrations.
The Katanga Copperbelt accounts for the majority of the world's cobalt supply — a mineral now classified by the US, EU, and allied governments as critical to national security, defense manufacturing, and the clean energy transition. Combined with its vast copper reserves, it is irreplaceable in supplying the raw materials that underpin modern industrial civilization.
This is also frontier mining. Across much of Katanga, government services are limited, physical infrastructure is minimal, and security and personal safety are real, daily considerations rather than abstract risks. Operating here demands far more than capital and equipment — it requires the judgment, local knowledge, and hard-won experience to function where the systems most miners take for granted simply do not exist. In practice, only companies with a vast network of longstanding relationships and deep on-the-ground experience can operate safely, reliably, and profitably in this environment.
DMK's founders have operated within this area for a combined 70+ years, developing the site-level knowledge, community relationships, and operational infrastructure that only sustained presence can build.
The Central African Copperbelt — Katanga Region, DRC. The Katanga Copperbelt stretches across Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces, centered on Lubumbashi and Kolwezi. DMK holds active mining licenses across this region, one of the world's most mineral-rich geological formations.
Operations
Open-pit copper mining across multiple fully permitted concessions. Our sites produce high-grade copper ore traceable and prepared for export to global buyers in line with DRC regulatory requirements.
Cobalt is recovered both as a by-product of copper and through dedicated programs. Every kilogram is compliant with the RMI standard, meeting the traceability requirements of EV and electronics supply chains.
DMK's formalization program brings artisanal miners into a regulated, safe, and fairly compensated framework — reducing informal sector risks and bringing more supply under responsible sourcing standards.
We have longstanding relationships with local fleet and logistics infrastructure connecting mine sites to export via Walvis Bay, Namibia, ensuring supply chain integrity and full chain-of-custody documentation end-to-end.
We establish and operate community investment programs across the regions where we work — funding local infrastructure, education, and health initiatives, and creating durable economic opportunity for the communities around our sites.
Active geological survey programs across Haut-Katanga and Lualaba using modern geophysical techniques to identify and quantify the next generation of cobalt and copper resources.
We publish annual Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data covering our full carbon and environmental footprint. Progressive land rehabilitation, water management, and reclamation plans ensure affected ecosystems recover over time.
Schools, clinics, and infrastructure in host communities are funded through our community development program. Local employment and procurement targets ensure economic benefit flows to those living alongside our operations.
DMK participates in the EITI, publicly disclosing all payments to government and production data. We hold RMI compliance and align with the Cobalt Institute's responsible sourcing framework and standards.
Zero-harm is our target. Rigorous safety protocols, regular training, and independent audits drive continuous improvement across all sites — for our own workforce and for artisanal miners in our formalization program.
News
Executive Order 14415 directs that the critical materials and components used to build, maintain, and repair US military equipment be sourced domestically or from allied nations. From January 2027 the Department of War will stop issuing routine waivers for non-compliant covered materials, and prime contractors and subcontractors at every tier will be required to map their supply chains back to the origin of the raw material. The order also bars the use of material from suppliers under the ownership, control, or influence of a covered nation.
US Policy Read Full Article →China controls an estimated 70% or more of global cobalt refining capacity. Even when Western companies own DRC mining assets outright, converting cobalt hydroxide into battery-grade materials has historically required Chinese processing. A new US–DRC agreement and the planned EVelution Energy refinery in Arizona represent the first serious attempt to establish a direct American cobalt corridor from Congolese production to domestic processing — with 2026–2027 the critical test of whether sovereign-level agreements translate into metric tons in transit.
Industry Analysis Read Full Article →The overwhelming majority of DRC cobalt exports have flowed directly to Chinese refining facilities, giving China structural leverage over pricing and downstream access that Western industrial policy is now explicitly trying to counter.
Supply Chain Read Full Article →Armed actors backed by a Congolese businessman claiming government authorization have moved to occupy a major cobalt deposit held by ERG, highlighting the security risks that complicate responsible sourcing in the DRC.
Security Read Full Article →Copper enters 2026 with firm energy-transition demand but tight concentrate supply, with the ICSG projecting a refined-market deficit. The analysis positions the DRC and Zambia — together roughly one-sixth of global mined copper — as a decisive swing factor, where tonnage growth, export-corridor infrastructure, and policy shifts will shape the year ahead.
Market Outlook Read Full Article →The agreement establishes a long-term framework for cooperation on critical minerals, security, infrastructure, and governance between Washington and Kinshasa. Under it the DRC designates a Strategic Asset Reserve of mineral and exploration assets, to which US companies receive preferential access — with a Joint Steering Committee overseeing implementation.
US–DRC Relations Read Full Article →The DRC's state cobalt agency Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) announced its first 1,000 metric tons of fully traceable artisanal cobalt at a ceremony in Kolwezi — a landmark step toward formalizing a sector that employs up to 2 million people and supplies over 74% of global cobalt.
Traceability Read Full Article →DFC sets out the strategic case for diversified critical mineral supply: the United States remains heavily reliant on imports of cobalt, lithium, and nickel, while China controls well over half of global cobalt refining capacity and has held as much as 90% of rare earth production capacity. DFC is deploying equity investment to build alternative supply outside that concentration.
Critical Minerals Read Full Article →Contact
For supply enquiries, partnership discussions, or media requests, contact our team directly. We respond to all serious enquiries from buyers, investors, and partners.