Union Minière du Haut-Katanga

African company

Also known as: UMHK

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

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The Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK) was a significant mining company in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This region, also known as Shaba, is rich in mineral resources, including copper and cobalt. The UMHK was established in 1906 and became one of the world's largest copper-producing companies by the early 1930s.12

The company's operations were central to the development of the Copperbelt, a major industrial zone in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the exploitation of these resources was complex, influenced by colonial rivalries and geopolitical factors. Following the Democratic Republic of the Congo's independence, the UMHK was nationalized in 1967 and became known as Gécamines. The region has experienced periods of political instability and economic challenges, partly due to fluctuating copper prices and internal conflicts.2

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Moise Tshombe
…by the Belgian mining monopoly Union Minière du Haut Katanga, which controlled the province’s rich copper mines. At a conference called by the Belgian government in 1960 to discuss independence for the Congo, Tshombe presented Conakat’s proposals for an independent Congo made up of a loose confederation of semiautonomous provinces.…
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…by the Belgian mining monopoly Union Minière du Haut Katanga, which controlled the province’s rich copper mines. At a conference called by the Belgian government in 1960 to discuss independence for the Congo, Tshombe presented Conakat’s proposals for an independent Congo made up of a loose confederation of semiautonomous provinces.…
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
…companies, such as the Belgian Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), whose assets in 1965 were valued at nearly $430 million. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese governmental revenue and accounted for a large proportion of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
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…companies, such as the Belgian Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), whose assets in 1965 were valued at nearly $430 million. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese governmental revenue and accounted for a large proportion of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
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Copperbelt
…Haut-Katanga (nationalized in 1967 as Gécamines, La Générale des Carrières et des Mines), which during the early 1930s was the largest copper-producing company in the world. The first copper-mining claim in Zambia, the Roan Antelope, was pegged in 1902 after W.C. Collier, a Bulawayo (Southern Rhodesia) prospector, shot the eponymous…
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…Haut-Katanga (nationalized in 1967 as Gécamines, La Générale des Carrières et des Mines), which during the early 1930s was the largest copper-producing company in the world. The first copper-mining claim in Zambia, the Roan Antelope, was pegged in 1902 after W.C. Collier, a Bulawayo (Southern Rhodesia) prospector, shot the eponymous…
Read More