Forminière

Founded by the industrialist Jean Jadot in 1906, the company began diamond mining in Kasai in 1913.

At its height, Forminière was involved in gold and silver mining, cotton, palm and rubber cultivation, farming, sawmilling and even owned shops.

The Belgian colonial state co-owned 50 percent of the company's capital, the rest being held largely by American shareholders.

The company was founded in 1906 under the Congo Free State, controlled personally by Leopold II of Belgium.

[2] Unlike the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, the mineral resources of the Forminière concession were unknown, and initial exploration focused on gold prospecting.