The Hidden Cost of Cobalt: Artisanal Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Author: Jayna L. Brisibe

June 25, 2026

Artisanal miners at the Mutoshi Concession, DRC [Image credit: Dorothée Baumann-Pauly/swissinfo.ch]

Cobalt is a valuable mineral that many people have never heard of, yet most of us rely on it daily. It is a key component in lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles, cell phones, and computers, essentially powering much of modern life. Despite this widespread dependence, we remain largely disconnected from the realities of its extraction, which are often marked by deeply unethical practices. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies over half of the world’s cobalt (RAID, 2022), and its mining sector reflects a long history shaped by colonial and neocolonial exploitation. Artisanal mining makes up 20-30% of the DRC’s cobalt and 10-15% of the world's cobalt (Liu et al., 2023). As a result, Congolese communities continue to bear a disproportionate and largely unacknowledged social and economic burden of global demand for this critical resource.

There are two main forms of cobalt extraction: industrial mining and artisanal mining. Industrial mining is exactly what it sounds like. Congolese workers are stationed in foreign-owned mines  (Chinese companies own 70% of industrial mines) (RAID, 2022), and there, miners use heavy-duty equipment to extract cobalt from beneath the Earth’s surface. While this is not the focus of this article, it warrants acknowledgment given the gross human rights violations occurring in the mines. Workers have described treatment as colonial-level abuse. Outside of these industrial mines is where artisanal mining takes place. 

Artisanal mining is the primary form of livelihood for many Congolese people following the collapse and subsequent privatization of the mining industry. Mainly, women and children as young as five are involved in mining activities (Amnesty International, 2016; Review of African Political Economy, 2022). They sort through the tailings outside of industrial mines to recover residual mineral content. In addition, the mines themselves are unstable, and collapses of miner-dug holes have resulted in deaths. Sustainable development has a fatal flaw that is demonstrated not only by artisanal cobalt mining but also by industrial mining. The fact that cobalt is being used to further net-zero carbon goals, as mentioned in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, obscures the sinister reality of modern-day slavery.

Poor governance and a lack of control over the mining industry are arguably contributors to the abysmal working and quality of life conditions that Congolese children and adults are forced into. However, this argument does not account for how neocolonialism, inherited from the initial scramble for Africa, still has a grip on Congolese societies and their governments. Prefacing the colonial power struggle, still going on today, sets the stage for an explanation about forced labor, child slavery, and overall neglect. 

The weight of the effort to reduce carbon emissions should not be borne by individuals who can barely provide for themselves and their families, if at all. Sovacool (2019) discusses the “balance” between brutality and prosperity regarding artisanal and industrial mining. In the context of industrial mining, he mentions that the methods have been criticized for failing to reduce poverty and perpetuating violence, among other things. It is fair to come to the same conclusion about artisanal mining. The outcome of entrenched disparities is the same, but it manifests through different vehicles. Faber et al. (2017) outline key findings relating to the livelihoods of households in mining communities. The emphasis is that mining households are vulnerable to income fluctuations based on the precarious nature of the work. Two-thirds of households are worried about not having enough food to eat, having a limited ability to save, while the average monthly income is approximately USD 35. Faber et al. (2017) provide a detailed account of child laborers' ages and activities within the mining sector, specifically artisanal mining:

Forms of child labor: Age and activities. Children living in the mining communities of the copper-cobalt belt who work in artisanal mining are mainly sorters (26%), surface workers (23%), and cleaners (17%). Children older than 15 years work mostly in surface excavation (26%), followed by mineral cleanup (19%). Children younger than 15 years mostly work in mineral sorting (38%), followed by surface excavation (18%). Considering those under 18 who directly excavate (subterranean or surface), 65% of them are 15 or older. (p. 7)

As alluded to earlier, poverty is stated as the main cause of child labor within the copper-cobalt belt (Faber et al. 2017). These families and children in the copper-cobalt belt are also significantly larger and less educated. Additionally, cobalt is very toxic, so long exposure to this mineral can cause a wide range of alarming health issues, including birth defects, cancers, thyroid disease, neurological and respiratory ailments, dermatitis, and hard metal lung disease (Amnesty International, 2016; Zuckerman, 2023; Brisibe, 2025). The DRC government’s mining code, developed in 2002, and its regulations, developed in 2003, are supposed to protect artisanal miners from physical and psychological harm. However, the code provides no guidelines on safety equipment or how to handle toxic substances, which results in deteriorating health and premature death (Amnesty International, 2016). 

Artisanal miners, DRC. [Image credit: Siddharth Kara/independent.co.uk

Cobalt is central to the technologies that underpin global sustainable development. The exploitative labor methods used to extract it cannot be overlooked in the pursuit of a greater goal of global sustainability. The UN outlines 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs)  that are supposed to describe exactly what needs to be achieved for global benefit. The looming question that arises from the neglect of some goals remains: “Why are some people valued over others? Why are Congolese children and their families erased from the equation regarding quality education, decent work, economic growth, and reducing inequalities, to name a few SDGs? The answer is clear to some, but it is imperative that light be shed on cobalt mining, as it will make people think twice before purchasing an electric vehicle or the latest iPhone when the one they have works fine. Artisanal mining and its human rights violations should not be the backbone of sustainable development (Brisibe, 2025). True sustainability does not neglect ethics.

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Glossary

• Artisan: a worker who practices a trade or handicraft

• Artisanal: of, relating to, or characteristic of an artisan

• Artisanal mining: mining with one's hands

• Contact dermatitis: rash resulting from topical contact with an irritating substance (cobalt)

• Industrial mines: Large-scale mining operations primarily run by private corporations or the government.

• Neocolonialism: “when the state has the outward trappings of international sovereignty, but its economic system and political policies are directed from the outside through economic or monetary means rather than explicit political domination.” (Kwame Nkrumah 1965)

• Preface: An introduction.

• Sustainable development: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

• Sustainable development goals (SDGs): The United Nations outlines 17 sustainable development goals, including but not limited to: No poverty, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, reduced inequalities, etc.

• Tailings: by-product of mining

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Acronyms

• SDG - Sustainable Development Goals

• USD - United States Dollar

• DRC - Democratic Republic of Congo