IMPACT along with Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in DRC (EITI-DRC), Minespider, and Solidaridad, are partnering a new project to address everyday corruption in the form of illegal and informal payments in Democratic Republic of Congo’s artisanal cobalt mining sector.
The Challenging Corruption project will make informal payments in the supply chain more visible and support civil society to monitor corruption more effectively in the sector.
The two-year, $400,000 USD project is one of the 11 winners of the Powering a Just Energy Transition Green Minerals Challenge (JET Minerals Challenge). The JET Minerals Challenge is run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project leverages IMPACT’s Mapping Payments project which used a consultative, multi-stakeholder process to map all the payments, fees, and taxes applicable to artisanal cobalt supply chains and their legal basis. With JET Minerals Challenge funding, these maps will be widely disseminated, providing supply chain actors and communities with a new tool to defend against corruption.
IMPACT will work with partners EITI-DRC and Minespider to allow for comprehensive and robust data analysis for the artisanal cobalt sector to understand corruption at the individual and community levels. Local civil society and anti-corruption advocates will receive training and guidance on how to collect data as well as interpret, understand, learn from, and leverage analytics. Solidaridad will examine the incentives needed for stakeholders to participate in data collection to tackle corruption and maintain responsible artisanal cobalt supply chains.
As a result of this work, civil society, anti-corruption advocates, and artisanal mining communities will be better able to monitor corruption and leverage data to bring about change.
Stay up to date with the Challenging Corruption project on IMPACT’s website.
Learn more about the JET Minerals Challenge by visiting the CTC Grand Challenge website.
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IMPACT transforms how natural resources are managed in areas where security and human rights are at risk. We investigate and develop approaches for natural resources to improve security, development, and equality. We are an independent non-profit, collaborating with local partners for lasting change.
EITI-DRC is committed to strengthening transparency and accountability of the management of DRC’s extractive sector by implementing the EITI Global Standard. This process is supported by a National Committee composed of an Executive Committee, represented by the Government, the private sector, and civil society, as well as a Technical Secretariat. The executive body of the National Committee is led by a National Coordinator.
Minespider is a technology company offering a blockchain-based platform for tracking mineral supply chain data and creating more sustainable and transparent mineral supply chains. Minespider developed digital Product Passports, which are digital IDs of material that easily communicate key data across the supply chain.
Solidaridad is an international civil society organization with over 50 years of experience in developing solutions to make communities more resilient — from our early roots supporting repressed communities in Latin America to our current work fostering more sustainable supply chains. We currently work in over 40 countries, on five continents, through seven independently supervised regional offices.