DRC: Program to Monitor Congo Artisanal Cobalt Miners Expanded

Apr 21, 2020 | Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.com
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A scheme to monitor and improve artisanal cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will reach four times the number of sites it currently covers by 2023 after a deal was announced between RCS Global and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). Cobalt, a by-product of copper or nickel, is used to make lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. Currently, about two-thirds of it comes out the DRC. However, due to the region’s intense poverty and the mineral’s soaring price, thousands of Congolese have flocked to the cobalt-rich areas to secure an income.