Representatives from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Belgium and European partner organisations met in Tervuren, Belgium, on 12 October 2026 to review progress under the PanAfGeo+ DRC Country Window, with a particular focus on the digitisation of geological archives held in Belgium and the next activities planned in the DRC.
The technical meeting brought together a delegation from the Geological Survey of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SGN-C), led by its Director General, Raoul Wazenga Vitima, alongside Professor Dieudonné-Louis Tambwe, Coordinator of the Technical Unit for Mining Planning and Coordination (CTCPM).
Representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), the State Archives of Belgium (AGR) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), including its Director General, Sara Lammens, and the museum’s teams, also participated. Geert Muyle, Belgium’s Special Envoy for Energy and Critical Raw Materials, and representatives from BRGM, which leads the DRC Country Window, joined the discussions.
Advancing the digitisation of geological archives
A key focus of the meeting was the ongoing effort to digitise and make geological archives held in Belgium accessible to the SGN-C, supporting the country’s geological research and information management activities.
This work builds on the visit to Belgium in June 2026 by the DRC Minister of Mines, H.E. Louis Watum Kabamba. During that mission, an initial batch of geological archives held in Belgium was transferred to the SGN-C, together with the remaining archives held by BRGM.
The October meeting provided an opportunity to assess progress and discuss the next steps towards the project’s objective of digitising 100% of the searchable geological archives held in Belgium by the end of PanAfGeo+.
Planning the next activities in the DRC
Beyond the work on geological archives, the partners reviewed progress across the other components of the PanAfGeo+ DRC Country Window.
Discussions included updates to the implementation schedule and upcoming operational activities in the targeted ZRG and ZEA zones.
The meeting provided an opportunity for Congolese and European partners to coordinate the next steps, ensuring continued progress on the Country Window’s activities and strengthening access to geological information in the DRC.
Watch the video: The SGN-C has shared a video highlighting the meeting in Tervuren. Watch it on LinkedIn.
