Paper short abstract:

Through an analysis of the ongoing debate about the future of EGC, set up with the aim of increasing government control over the artisanal mining and trade of Congolese cobalt, this paper seeks to investigate conflicting views on the role of the Congolese state in resource-based development.

Paper long abstract:

Due to the strategic importance of copper and cobalt for the so-called green transition, Katanga, situated in the southeastern part of the DRC, has witnessed a growing competition between industrial and artisanal mining actors for access to mineral-bearing land in recent years. This has been accompanied by rising international attention to the conditions in which mineral ores are mined and traded. Aiming to improve the reputation of the Katangese mining industry, several initiatives have been taken to stimulate Corporate Social Responsibility, to promote partnerships between industrial mining companies and artisanal miners, and to increase the transparency of copper and cobalt chains through the introduction of due diligence mechanisms, certification schemes and new forms of technology such as blockchains. Until now, research about the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Katanga has mainly focused on the unintended side-effects of corporate-led initiatives for ‘responsible’ mining. Nevertheless, Deberdt (2021) has rightly drawn attention to a highly remarkable attempt by the Congolese government to regain control over the artisanal mining sector through the establishment of the state-owned company Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), which was given a five-year monopoly on the purchase, processing and marketing of all artisanally mined cobalt in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba. The aim of this paper is to use the ongoing debate about the future of EGC as an entry point to bring to light and analyze conflicting views on the role of the Congolese state in resource-based development.