Democratic Republic of Congo - Sustainable economic development and responsible supply chains in the mining sector
Country / Region: DR Congo / Africa
Focal Point: Mineral Resources
BMZ Programme: Sustainable Economic Development
Begin of project: July 1, 2021
End of project: June 30, 2024
Status of project: May 8, 2024
Inspection Tantal mine Kalemie, Tanganyika-Province
Source: BGR
The Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in mineral resources. This mineral wealth contrasts sharply with the widespread poverty of the population. The problems in Congolese mining are manifold and range from poor working conditions, human rights violations and environmental damage to mismanagement of state revenues from the extractive sector.
Artisanal Gold mine, Watsa, Haut Uele
Source: BGR
Since 2009, the BGR has been active in the DR Congo within the framework of bilateral development cooperation. The focus so far has been on strengthening control and improving living conditions in small-scale mining, both in the area of so-called conflict minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) and in the copper-cobalt sector.
In the current project, the control and transparency of artisanal supply chains remains one aspect of BGR’s work. Furthermore, the project will also operate in the area of industrial mining. Here, the life cycle of a mine forms the crosscutting theme: from exploration, development and mining to mine closure and after-use.
Coltan mine Luwowo, Rubaya
Source: BGR
To this end, the project works in three fields of action:
(i) Promoting responsible mining practices based on extractive economic analyses and sustainability assessments. Cooperation projects with mining companies and universities have been established here.
(ii) Implementing measures for a responsible supply chain in the Congolese mining sector. In this field of action, concepts for the control of artisanal supply chains have been developed and implemented with a focus on curbing conflict financing.
(iii) Strengthening local institutional capacities and consolidate technical and scientific expertise by promoting knowledge transfer. In this field of action, practice-relevant training modules on sustainable mining practices have been developed and implemented with Congolese universities.
A subsequent project running from 07/2024 to 06/2027 is currently in preparation.
Literature:
Publications on mineral certification in DRC
Partner:
DRC Ministry of Mines (Ministère des Mines)