Hyperdrive
Saudi Arabia of Cobalt: Congo Eyes Battery-Metal Price Power
- New state company could control 15% of world cobalt production
- Other artisanal cobalt buyers have six months to shut down
Photographer: Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images
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Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s main source of vital battery ingredient cobalt, is also one of the poorest nations. And while it’s dominated by huge industrial mines, about a fifth of its silvery-blue metal is still hand-dug, in often unregulated and dangerous conditions.
Jean-Dominique Takis Kumbo, the head of the new state cobalt buyer, is determined to change that.