Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines is accelerating development of the Makoko district in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). An updated resource estimate has increased contained copper by nearly one-third to 12 million tonnes. The company says this makes Makoko its largest and highest-grade discovery of the past decade, while ongoing drilling could add further resources.
The ore district is part of Ivanhoe’s Western Forelands project. The latest data show 42 million tonnes of indicated resources grading 2.66% copper, alongside 612 million tonnes of inferred resources at a grade of 1.8%. The update significantly expands Ivanhoe’s resource base in a country that is already the world’s second-largest copper producer.
The company plans to launch a scoping study for Makoko in the first quarter of 2027. At the same time, drilling activity will be intensified to accelerate preparations for the project’s development phase.
Particular emphasis is being placed on a hybrid mining approach combining shallow open pits with underground workings. The strategy is expected to reduce upfront capital requirements and bring the project to first ore production more quickly. The site is already being prepared for construction: the area has been fenced, roads are being built, and environmental monitoring is underway.
Ivanhoe plans to draw on the experience of Kamoa-Kakula, which progressed from discovery to production in less than six years. The complex is jointly owned by Ivanhoe, China’s Zijin Mining, and the Congolese government.
Company founder Robert Friedland highlighted what he described as exceptional exploration efficiency: every 1,000 meters of drilling has yielded an average of 100 million pounds of copper. Meanwhile, around 60,000 meters of drilling completed in 2026 have not yet been incorporated into the updated resource estimate, and mineralization remains open in several directions.
Makoko is emerging as a key asset in the global copper industry. Against a backdrop of scarce large, high-grade discoveries, the project could give the DRC and Ivanhoe a strategic advantage that may influence the global copper supply balance over the next decade.
Source: MINING.COM
Image: Ivanhoe Mines
