The Congo and Cobalt: Modern Day Slavery

The modern “first-world” countries thrive on technological revolutions and enjoy a prosperous economy with the top GDPs of the world. Having the top GDP and Per Capita Income means the population enjoy benefits such as a good education system, a humane healthcare system and social welfare that they feel they inherently deserve. All of these benefits have their historic roots in deeply troubling aspects such as imperialism and slavery. The benefits of these aspects hold a large share of these privileges that the citizens of the west enjoy at present.

Let’s look at a particular example of imperialism, during the eighteen hundreds the country of Belgium decided to get into the business like the British and the French. King Leopold II bought land in central Africa and named it The Congo. Different from other European countries King Leopold II spread the message of philanthropy while occupying land and disseminating the population in cultivation of Rubber. The castles and monuments you find in the streets of Belgium were made symbolizing the wealth extracted from The Congo.

Modern days are seeing the trend of extracting wealth from poor countries make a resurgence. Especially looking at The Congo, the country is still suffering from dire poverty and the population deals with diseases such as malaria and has a high child mortality rate. The Congo is rich in Cobalt, used in every microprocessor and as a conductor in Batteries. Fast and long range electric cars from all your favorite brands can’t function without Cobalt.

There are 19 companies operating Cobalt mines in The Congo, 15 of them are Chinese. The fact that they are Chinese is a concern because unlike other western powers, China doesn’t have the burden of maintaining a façade of proper working conditions. They operate an intricate operation of supporting local militias and keeping out journalists and human rights activists from accessing the mines and its poor working conditions. Families from villages are incentivised to work in these mines for 50 cents a day and are coerced to dig with their own hands for cobalt. The Congolese government is at a crossroads as the mining leases to these companies are a big chunk of the GDP for The Congo.

Spiked in both demand and price in recent years. Lithium-ion batteries account for over half of global cobalt consumption, and electric vehicle sales are predicted to grow from 6.5 million in 2021 to 66 million in 2040. This means the incentives are far greater for the Government of Congo to keep up these practices only at the convenience of economic gains.

There are no options for the poor people living in The Congo. The mines are the only source of income and the aspect of wearing PPE and caring for long term health is not a luxury they can afford. These poor practices are heartbreaking to witness for the global communities. The moral dilemma has made the global community to term this mineral as a Conflict Mineral. And call the miners “artisanal miners’.

It is time for the privileged local community to make a moral judgment on the conveniences of modern life. The effects of colonialism is still in effect and it is unjust for the innocent people to keep suffering for our modern convenience.