DR Congo

Coltan Mine Bibatama in Nord-Kivu Source: BGR

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s most richly endowed countries in terms of mineral wealth. The country hosts numerous major deposits of diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium. Mining is of high significance for the country’s economic development in terms of poverty reduction, employment opportunities, GDP contribution, state revenue generation and export earnings. Minerals mined in the DRC are of critical importance for the global manufacturing of products such as lithium ion batteries used for electric vehicles (containing cobalt), electronic devices (containing tantalum, tin and gold), or infrastructure (copper for transmission lines).

Mining is a major source of employment in the DRC. The formal LSM sector currently employs about 120,000 people, although this number may fluctuate in response to international commodity cycles. The mostly informal ASM sector employs anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million people and plays a major role in income generation in mostly underdeveloped regions of the DRC. However, while mining in the DRC is important for national economic development and global mineral supply, there are also a range of sustainability challenges that need to be addressed.

Mining activities in the DRC comprise large-scale industrial (LSM) as well as artisanal small-scale mining (ASM); both are associated with particular sustainability challenges. In the LSM sector, governance, taxation and transparency questions play a critical role to enable the sector to contribute to sustainable economic development. The ASM sector is subject to various risks including conflict financing, smuggling, child and forced labor, unsafe working conditions and detrimental environmental impacts. Moreover, in order to promote sustainable development of both sectors, it is necessary to look at impacts beyond mining and consider the full cycle from exploration, through mining to mine closure, reclamation and post-mining business opportunities.

Since 2009, with the German-Congolese development cooperation framework, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) has supported the DRC Ministry of Mines in improving control in the mining sector through capacity building and advisory services. In recent years, the project has also actively supported local civil society organizations and artisanal mining cooperatives.

Map of CTC sites in the DRC Source: BGR

Project activities include:

• Introducing the Certified Trading Chains (CTC) certification scheme for responsible artisanal and small-scale mining in the DRC
• Supporting mine validation and inspection missions in order to facilitate market access for “conflict minerals” produced in line with due diligence requirements
• Developing and piloting technical methods to improve control and sustainability in the mining sector

In doing so, the project contributes to facilitating formal mineral production and trade as a base for responsible international supply chains. Through these contributions, the project ultimately aims at improving the livelihood perspectives for artisanal miners and local communities living around mine sites.