The Democratic Republic of Congo has made a significant breakthrough in the exploration of cobalt. The world depends on Congo for the batteries that power electric vehicles, smartphones, and renewable energy systems, but the cobalt industry, especially artisanal mining, has long lived in the shadows of informality, opacity, and exploitation. That narrative is now shifting. Recently, the production of its first 1,000 metric tons of fully traceable artisanal cobalt, the DRC has signalled in unmistakable terms that the world’s most important mineral supply chain is entering a new era, one built on transparency, local value creation, and Congolese agency.
This milestone marks more than a technical achievement; it represents the convergence of policy reforms, global demand pressures, and Africa’s rising power in shaping the future of critical minerals. And for Congo itself, a country that holds 72% of global cobalt reserves and supplies 74% of the world’s cobalt, it could redefine economic sovereignty for decades to come.
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The DRC’s artisanal cobalt sector, employing up to 2 million miners and supporting over 10 million people, is a vital lifeline for nearly 10% of the country’s population, yet its informal nature poses major challenges for global markets. Unregulated cobalt is difficult to trace, moves through opaque and cash-based trading systems, and exposes international buyers to serious risks, including allegations of child labour, unsafe working conditions, environmental damage, and supply instability. This tension places the sector at a critical crossroads, where livelihoods and global ethical standards are directly intertwined.
For years, manufacturers from automakers to battery giants have struggled to certify ethically sourced cobalt, even as global demand is projected to rise 40% by 2030 (IEA).
EGC’s first 1,000 tons of traceable artisanal cobalt directly confronts this challenge by bringing structure to a sector built on informality. It introduces digital tracking, standardised oversight, and government-backed purchasing, laying the foundation for the world’s first scalable, ethical, and traceable artisanal cobalt system.
In 2024, the Congolese government rolled out an ambitious policy framework to formalise the artisanal cobalt industry, combining months-long export bans, new export quotas introduced in October, tighter regulatory oversight through ARESCOM, and the growing authority of Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) as the designated sole buyer. Together, these measures aimed to dismantle the opaque, informal system that has long defined artisanal cobalt mining.
The quota-based system discourages the export of raw cobalt by incentivising local processing, formalised supply chains, documented sourcing, and compliance with international standards. ARESCOM grants quotas preferentially to operators that prove their commitment to value addition within the DRC, responsible sourcing practices, strong environmental and social protections, and transparent traceability systems, laying the foundation for a cleaner, more accountable, and economically beneficial cobalt value chain.
This framework has now produced its first tangible output: 1,000 tons of traceable artisanal cobalt, announced in Kolwezi, Congo’s cobalt heartland, where EGC’s CEO Eric Kalala emphasised that each ton must “reflect the dignity of the people who mine it.”
Artisanal cobalt mining in the DRC functions as a vast, fragmented ecosystem made up of thousands of small sites across Kolwezi and nearby regions, where groups of 5–50 miners rely on basic tools and cash-based trading networks to extract surface-level deposits. These operations are often family- or community-run and conduct minimal processing beyond cleaning and hand sorting. Despite their simplicity, artisanal miners produce roughly one-third of Congo’s cobalt, sustaining local economies where each mining job supports 5–7 dependents and stimulates demand for trade, transport services, equipment supply, and informal community markets.
However, the same structure that sustains millions also makes the sector incredibly difficult to regulate or trace. Ownership changes hands informally, transactions go unrecorded, unofficial traders often overshadow authorised buyers, and remote mining zones struggle with poor roads, limited electricity, and almost nonexistent banking access. Language and literacy barriers further complicate documentation efforts. These challenges underscore why building a transparent, technology-enabled, and fully traceable artisanal cobalt supply chain represents a truly transformative moment for the DRC and global critical mineral markets.
EGC’s achievement of producing 1,000 tons of traceable artisanal cobalt highlights the technological transformation underway in Congo’s mining sector, powered by blockchain-based digital records, GPS-mapped sites, and cryptographic certificates that secure chain-of-custody data. Satellite monitoring and AI provide real-time surveillance, flag unauthorised activity, and analyse production trends, while mobile applications enable on-site digital registration, miner IDs, electronic payments, and batch-level documentation. Together, these tools strengthen oversight and open pathways for artisanal miners to access formal financial systems and participate in global supply chains that were previously out of reach.
Congo’s milestone in producing traceable artisanal cobalt comes as the country experiences a broader mining resurgence, with cobalt output reaching 170,000 tons in 2023, copper production climbing to 2.8 million tons, gold maintaining strong performance, and diamonds ranking fourth globally by volume. This boom has helped attract $1.67 billion in foreign direct investment and supports IMF growth projections of 5.7% for 2025, even as governance concerns linger, including a $70 billion revenue underreporting scandal revealed in 2025. The formalisation of artisanal cobalt is part of a strategic national effort to strengthen sovereignty, increase domestic value capture, and reduce the country’s heavy reliance on foreign-controlled mineral value chains.
Cobalt sits at the core of electric vehicles, large-scale energy storage systems, electronics, aerospace, and defence technologies, making it one of the most strategic minerals of the 21st century. As global EV adoption accelerates, Western and Asian manufacturers are under growing pressure to eliminate unethical sourcing, a shift that elevates the importance of fully traceable Congolese cobalt. This transformation strengthens supply chain security by reducing reliance on opaque routes, drives price premiums for certified ethical material, and intensifies strategic competition as the DRC asserts greater control over its mineral policy, signalling Africa’s rising leverage in global critical mineral markets. Ultimately, countries pursuing clean energy transitions must now engage Congo on more transparent, equitable terms, marking a significant geopolitical realignment.
The shift toward a fully traceable artisanal cobalt sector faces significant challenges, including persistent infrastructure gaps such as poor roads, unreliable electricity, and limited processing capacity, all of which slow formalisation. The informal market remains a strong competitor, with unregulated traders offering quicker cash and often higher prices, while cultural resistance emerges as long-standing local trading norms are disrupted by new systems. Economic risks also loom, as formalisation could temporarily reduce miner incomes if not carefully managed, and scaling remains a major hurdle; integrating thousands of scattered artisanal sites into one coherent traceability system may take up to a decade.
The artisanal cobalt sector is set for transformative growth, driven by local processing incentives from export quotas, which encourage investment in refineries, processing hubs, and battery precursor facilities. Regional cooperation through SADC and the African Union frameworks may standardise traceability practices, while digital tools like mobile banking will formalise payments for millions of miners. Long-term partnerships with EV and battery manufacturers are expected to secure ethical supply chains, and the successful traceability model for cobalt could expand to other critical minerals such as gold, tin, copper, and lithium, potentially transforming artisanal mining across Africa.
The DRC’s production of its first 1,000 tons of traceable artisanal cobalt marks the start of a new era in economic sovereignty, signalling greater control over its mineral resources. This milestone promises safer conditions and fairer prices for artisanal miners, boosts investor confidence through enhanced transparency, and provides manufacturers with reliable, ethically sourced cobalt for the global energy transition, solidifying Africa’s central role in critical mineral supply chains.
If the DRC sustains this momentum, with expanded processing capacity, continuous oversight, and community-focused reforms, it could redefine what responsible mining looks like in the 21st century.
The world is electrifying. Batteries are the new oil. And the Democratic Republic of Congo, with its people and its minerals, stands at the heart of this transformation, now with the tools to shape not just supply, but history.
