In September, the U.S. Department of Labor placed Congolese cobalt on the list of goods potentially produced by forced labor or child labor. In this country, the world’s leading producer of cobalt, this measure has caused a reaction from the authorities as well as civil society, they fear that this decision will scare away investors.
From our correspondent in Lubumbashi,
In 2023, the DRC produced 170,000 tonnes of cobalt, a production which allowed it to maintain its position of leader worldwide, but for how long? Joseph Dounia, a civil society actor based in Goma, fears that the decision of the American Department of Labor will have serious economic consequences on the RDC. « All these measures, these directives, these sanctions against Congolese minerals prevent job creation and this prevents investors from coming, he alerts. Because any entrepreneur who would like to invest in Congolese minerals will fear being listed by the UNITED STATES and theEuropean Union. And the United States must let the DRC make its own laws on its minerals and its wealth. »
An opinion shared by Shadrack Mukad, member of the Understanding and Acting in Industrial and Artisanal Mines (Casmia) coalition. However, he is aware that the multiple projects dealing with child labor in mines have not yielded the expected results. “ The projects have not resolved the fundamental question, which is that of poverty or the precarious living conditions in which households find themselves who let children go to mining sites. “, he concedes.
Also readDRC: alert on child labor in the mines of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga
A decision that will influence public opinion »
Since 2017, the Do not touch my cobalt platform claims to have carried out various actions and even organized a field visit for an OECD delegation in order to avoid sanctions on Congolese cobalt. “ This is an alert that must be taken into account because it will weigh on American and European public opinion who are the final consumers of products in which there is cobalt and copper from the DRC. It is time that we can further protect cobalt which is our strategic mineral », highlights Franck Fwamba, the director of the platform.
For their part, the Congolese authorities maintain that efforts are being made to improve the cobalt supply chain. On September 30, during the DRC-United States forum, the Congolese Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku, provided an update. “ 95% of cobalt is exploited by industrial companies listed on the stock exchange and recognized internationally. Artisanal exploitation only represents 5% [des exploitations]and even this artisanal exploitation is not done by children », Says the minister.
In a press release published at the end of last week, the spokesperson for the Congolese government said he regretted that this decision did not take into account the progress made and called on partners to intensify their technical and financial support.
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