Category: Cobalt

The attitude towards cobalt mined by artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) has come a long way in just a few short years. Once under the spotlight by end users as a questionable, high-risk source , but more recently under the spotlight as an increasingly safe, stable and traceable source. As end-users continue to question and improve their understanding of the cobalt supply chain due to traceability concerns, strides continue to be made in improving and formalising ASM cobalt supply from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s largest producer… Read More Here

The mining industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has already produced 65,159 tonnes of cobalt in the first 10 months of the year compared to 65,058 tonnes in the same period in 2019, a slight increase of, according to data from the Central Bank of Congo. For the whole of 2019, the Democratic Republic of the Congo produced 77,964 tonnes of cobalt against 109,402 tonnes in 2018, the record for the past two decades, and 82,461 tonnes in 2017. Read More Here

Congolese mining company Entreprise Générale du Cobalt, or EGC, signed an offtake agreement with commodity trading group Trafigura in a bid to fomalise artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The trading agreement includes the provision of finance by Trafigura to fund the creation of strictly controlled artisanal mining zones, the installation of ore purchasing stations and costs related to the transparent and traceable delivery of cobalt hydroxide to Trafigura on an export cleared basis.  Under the supply terms, EGC will ensure that the ore marketed by… Read More Here

Volkswagen has joined the “Cobalt for Development” initiative to support improving artisanal cobalt mining conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The pilot project intends to strengthen legal compliance and improve health and safety conditions as well as social well-being in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo According to the carmaker, the first trainings for mine operators and miners have begun. CURRENTLY, VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT ACCEPT COBALT FROM ARTISANAL MINES The project is being implemented by GIZ and financed by BASF, BMW Group, Google, Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI and… Read More Here

A company controlled by Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, who is under U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption, bought rights from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state mining company to royalties from one of the world’s largest cobalt projects. While the contract was published by the mining company Gecamines in October, it was signed in June 2017 — six months before the U.S. government blacklisted the businessman for “opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals” in Congo. Gertler has never been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing, and he’s hired… Read More Here

The mining industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo produced 58,220 tonnes of cobalt in the first 9 months of this year 2020 compared to 58,052 tonnes in the same period in 2019, a slight increase of 0.28%, according to the figures of the Central Bank of Congo. Despite the coronavirus pandemic that hit the country on March 10, the DRC produces almost as much as last year. Overall, the DRC produced 77,964 cobalt in 2019 against 109,402 tonnes in 2018, the record for the past two decades. Read More Here