Current Time in Likasi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Likasi is a city in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, located in the southeastern part of the country in the Copperbelt region, one of the world's richest mineral belts. With a population of approximately 500,000 people, Likasi is one of the major urban centers of the Congolese Copperbelt and serves as an important industrial and commercial hub in a province defined by its extraordinary mineral wealth. The city lies roughly 120 kilometers west of Lubumbashi, the provincial capital.

The history of Likasi is fundamentally shaped by the mining industry. The area was developed during the Belgian colonial period when the Union Minière du Haut Katanga, a powerful Belgian mining company, established operations throughout the Katanga copper belt in the early twentieth century. Likasi, then known as Jadotville, was founded in 1917 as a colonial mining town and grew rapidly as copper production expanded. The company built housing, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure to support its workforce, giving the city a planned quality during the colonial era.

The Battle of Jadotville in 1961 etched the city into military history. During the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the newly independent Congo, a small contingent of Irish army soldiers — the A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion — was besieged for nearly five days by Katangese gendarmerie and mercenaries. Despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Irish soldiers fought effectively, sustaining no fatalities. This engagement became the subject of the 2016 Netflix film "The Siege of Jadotville," bringing international attention to the city's role in the complex history of Congolese decolonization.

Copper and cobalt mining remain the primary economic drivers of Likasi. The city is surrounded by mines and processing facilities operated by both state-owned enterprises and international mining companies attracted by the region's extraordinary mineral reserves. Cobalt, which is essential for rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles and electronic devices, has become particularly valuable in recent years, making the Katanga Copperbelt — and Likasi — strategically important in the global economy's transition toward cleaner energy.

The urban character of Likasi reflects its industrial origins, with neighborhoods developed around mining operations, colonial-era administrative buildings, and more recent urban growth responding to population expansion. Markets, churches, schools, and commercial establishments serve the daily needs of a large and diverse population.

Transportation connections include roads linking Likasi to Lubumbashi and other Copperbelt cities, as well as rail connections that historically served the mining industry by transporting ore to the coast.

Several secondary schools and some higher education institutions provide educational services to the city's population, contributing to skill development in the mining and engineering sectors.

Likasi is a city whose fortunes have long been tied to the minerals beneath its soil. Its history of colonial development, military drama, and mineral wealth makes it a compelling if little-known chapter in the story of central Africa and the global mining industry.