Under Decision No. 027/ARSP/DG/2026, dated September 25, 2026, the Director General of the Authority for the Regulation of Subcontracting in the Private Sector (ARSP), Juan Ted Beleshayi Kasanda, has ordered the companies KIPUSHI CORPORATION (KICO) SA, IVANHOE MINES SERVICES (IME) and IVANHOE MINES DRC, subsidiaries of the Ivanhoe Group, to terminate ongoing contracts entered into with ineligible subcontracting companies and to remove them from their subcontractor registers.
The decision follows an inspection carried out at the three companies, with the observation reports received on July 31, 2026. The inspection found that, for the 2025 financial year, these companies had awarded contracts to firms that did not meet the eligibility conditions set out in Article 6 of Law No. 17/001 of February 8, 2017, as amended by Law No. 26/017 of June 30, 2026 (which reserves subcontracting activities to companies with Congolese capital headquartered on national territory, subject to exemptions). The number of ineligible subcontractors identified totals 85 for Kipushi Corporation (KICO) SA, 32 for Ivanhoe Mines Services (IME) and 23 for Ivanhoe Mines DRC — 140 in all — listed in annexes to the decision.
Effective immediately, the decision orders the three companies to: (a) refrain from awarding, renewing or extending any subcontracting agreement to the listed companies; (b) terminate ongoing contracts with them; (c) remove them from their subcontractor registers until their situation is regularized. The companies are also required to submit, within 30 days, a mandatory corrective plan detailing the timeline for ending these contracts, evidence of the companies' removal, and measures to open market access to eligible subcontractors. The ARSP will conduct a follow-up inspection to verify effective implementation of the plan. Failure to comply exposes the companies to the sanctions provided for under the law, particularly Article 30 quinquies.
To read the full text of the Decision and the complete list of the 140 subcontractors concerned, please download the official PDF document.