The future of mining in the DRC will not be flown in. It will be built here, with the people, partners, and businesses of this country.

That was the resounding message from AECI Mining Chemicals today at DRC Mining Week 2025, as the company used its full presence at the event to reinforce its long-term commitment to the country and its call for a mining sector grounded in local partnerships, industrial sustainability, and shared prosperity.

Held under the banner “20 Years of Shaping Mining in the DRC: Creating a Roadmap for the Future – Vision 2025–2030,” this year’s DRC Mining Week was a milestone moment – one that demanded more than product showcases or promotional stands. For AECI Mining Chemicals, it was a platform to lead by example, showing what a truly integrated, localised, and responsible mining business strategy looks like.

From the outset, the company’s stand made a statement. Each day, local resellers, key partners in AECI’s country strategy, were co-hosted at the stand, not as guests, but as equals. They interacted directly with visitors, fielded technical queries, shared insights from the ground, and represented the AECI brand with credibility born from local experience. This wasn’t just optics – It was structure. It was strategy in motion.

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“Our presence here isn’t just about visibility,” said Stuart Miller, EVP AECI Mining. “It’s about accountability. It’s about showing up with our partners and standing beside them. We don’t operate in the DRC as outsiders, we are building from within, through trusted local businesses who are the real enablers of growth.”

This philosophy was consistently reinforced through the company’s exhibition materials. Whether in digital displays, brochures or signage, the logos of reseller partners were given equal prominence, a clear signal that AECI is committed to a model of shared value and co-branding, not extraction and outsourcing. The stand itself became a living embodiment of the DRC’s localisation policy in action, turning theory into daily practice.

But the message of AECI’s participation went beyond partnership. It also focused on sustainability. As the global mining industry comes under increasing scrutiny to reduce its environmental footprint and uplift host communities, AECI used its engagements at the event to spotlight its range of responsible chemical solutions, technologies that reduce environmental impact, improve operational safety, and support cleaner mineral processing.

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“We are deeply invested in helping our customers meet both their performance targets and their environmental obligations,” added Morne Stiglingh, VP: Product Management and Innovation. “That’s why our solutions aren’t just effective – they’re future-fit. And they’re being delivered through a local network that understands the unique challenges and opportunities of mining in the DRC.”

In a region where infrastructure, community development, and industrial capacity remain uneven, AECI’s approach stands out. Rather than building parallel systems, the company is building capacity, enabling local entrepreneurs, transferring technical knowledge, and creating the conditions for sustainable economic participation beyond the mine gate. The goal is not short-term presence, but long-term partnership, a legacy of skills, empowerment, and value addition that extends far beyond the lifespan of any individual contract.

This year’s DRC Mining Week served as a powerful reminder of the vital role the country plays in the global minerals economy and the responsibility that comes with it. With the eyes of investors, governments and technology companies on the DRC’s copper and cobalt reserves, the choices made now will shape the continent’s industrial future for decades.

That’s why AECI Mining Chemicals is calling on stakeholders across the industry to act boldly, to embrace localisation not as a compliance issue, but as a path to resilience. To invest not only in products, but in people. And to help build a DRC mining sector that is globally competitive, environmentally conscious, and proudly Congolese.