Tshisekedi’s Reforms: Ending Child Labor, Shaping Congo’s Mining

Quick Links

• Child Labor Reforms

• Digital monitoring: CISTEMA and CLMRS

• KoBold’s AI‑powered exploration and compliance

• Legacy Deals & Infrastructure

• European and American partnerships

• The birth of EGC and ethical cobalt

Introduction

For decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) embodied the so‑called “resource curse.” Beneath its rich red soil lie cobalt, copper, and other minerals critical for mobile phones, electric vehicles, and green technologies, yet the benefits rarely reach Congolese families. Instead, images of children hauling sacks of ore and miners toiling in unsafe pits circulated around the world. As exploitation deepened, many citizens began asking: Could our minerals ever deliver dignity rather than misery?

Since taking office, President Félix Tshisekedi has promised to break that cycle. His reforms aim to transform how minerals are extracted, traded, and invested, putting people before profits.

President Félix Tshisekedi has promised to change this. His reforms are built on four pillars:

1. A digital child-labor monitoring system to help children leave mines and return to school.

2. Formalisation of artisanal mining into safer, legal cooperatives.

3. Responsible investment deals that demand social and environmental standards.

4. Renegotiation of legacy contracts to fund infrastructure like roads, schools, and water systems.

A turning tide

Artisanal mining still accounts for roughly 10‑20 % of Congo’s mineral output and employs about two million people, many of them parents or teenagers. Yet a formal sector is emerging. In 2022, the government launched the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS), a digital database operated by the inter‑ministerial committee CISTEMA. By December 2023, it had registered 5,346 children at 10 artisanal cobalt sites, giving authorities hard data for the first time.

An update from the International Labour Organization in late 2024 reported that the CLMRS had identified over 6,200 children in the Haut‑Katanga and Lualaba provinces. These numbers represent real kids; each entry corresponds to a child who can be assessed for school enrolment or vocational support.

President Tshisekedi’s reforms build on this monitoring. They bring ASM cooperatives into a legal framework, invite responsible investors like KoBold Metals to modernize exploration, and overhaul older contracts such as the Sino‑Congolese Sicomines joint venture. Together, these pillars hint at a future where Congolese minerals power the world without exploiting Congolese children.

Child Labor Reforms

Digital monitoring: CISTEMA and CLMRS

Before 2022, there was no systematic way to count or assist children working in cobalt mines. In response to international pressure and local advocacy, Congo’s Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Mines, and the ILO created CISTEMA, an inter‑ministerial committee tasked with monitoring child labor in artisanal mining. Using a tablet‑based Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS), local inspectors visit mine sites, register children, record their age and situation, and refer them to services.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that the pilot registered 5,346 children by December 2023 across ten artisanal cobalt sites. An ILO update in November 2024 stated that the system had logged over 6,200 children in Haut‑Katanga and Lualaba and was coordinating with UNICEF, IMPACT Transform, and the PABEA‑Cobalt programme to refer them to education, income‑generating activities, or vocational training

These numbers may seem small against the millions of children in Sub‑Saharan Africa’s labour force, 87 million according to the ILO–UNICEF 2024 estimates, but they represent the start of a nationwide registry. For the first time, Congolese authorities know the identities and needs of thousands of mining‑affected children.

A child’s voice

Human stories bring these statistics to life. Faustin*, 11, worked alongside his mother in a cobalt mine for two years after his father died. “I am still a child. This job doesn’t deserve me,” he told Save the Children. “I regret the time I spent in the mines. I missed out on a lot of subjects. Those who were at the same level as me when I started mining completely passed me by”

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Through the organisation’s Catch‑up Clubs,12‑week classes that help primary‑school pupils regain reading and maths skills, Faustin has returned to the classroom. Another boy, Muntosh*, described losing his brother in a landslide and enduring chronic pain from carrying heavy loads; he now says his “intelligence is coming back” thanks to the clubs

Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s country director in DRC, underscores the stakes: “We’re seeing a huge need for green energy solutions globally, which heavily relies on cobalt – but it is imperative that what fuels our smartphones, computers, and electric cars doesn’t also fuel child rights violations,” he said. He calls education “a lifeline” and warns that many children work simply to pay school fees. His plea is echoed by Nteba Soumano, the ILO’s country director for Angola, Congo, and Gabon, who described the CLMRS‑linked GALAB project as “a crucial step forward… By strengthening remediation services and engaging the private sector, we can make a real difference in the lives of children and their families and contribute to a more responsible and sustainable mining sector.”

From data to action

The CLMRS does more than count children; it triggers interventions. When inspectors identify a child, social workers visit the family, determine why the child works, and design a remediation plan. Younger children receive school materials and support to pay fees.

Adolescents may enter vocational training or alternative livelihood programmes. Parents are enrolled in savings groups or given seeds and tools to start small farms. The ILO’s GALAB initiative aims to connect every registered child to appropriate services and train more labour and mining inspectors

Contrast with the past: Before 2022, there was no database, meaning children disappeared into the informal mining economy. Without names or ages, authorities could neither prosecute exploiters nor assist victims. Today, each of the 6,000+ entries represents a child with a case file and a path back to school. These are not just numbers; they are futures restored.

Formalizing Artisanal Mining

The birth of EGC and ethical cobalt

Artisanal and small‑scale mining is not going away; mining provides livelihoods for around two million Congolese and 10–20 % of national mineral production. Recognising this, President Tshisekedi created the Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) in 2019, giving the state a monopoly on purchasing and marketing artisanal cobalt.

In 2020, EGC signed a partnership with commodity trader Trafigura to develop controlled artisanal mining zones, build buying stations, and create a transparent supply chain. EGC’s managing director, Jean‑Dominique Takis, said formalisation was essential for Congo to benefit fully from cobalt’s value; he emphasised compliance with OECD standards and broad consultation with stakeholders. Under the Responsible Sourcing Standard, operations must prohibit child labour, guarantee workers’ rights, and provide protective equipment

From shadow economy to dignity: The Mutoshi pilot project offers a glimpse of what formalisation can achieve. Launched in 2018 by Chemaf and Trafigura, it provided artisanal miners with mechanically prepared open‑pit sites, safety training, and protective gear. Women were fully integrated, and the extra income they earned allowed families to pay school fees, reducing child labour. Although the project paused during the COVID‑19 pandemic, its legacy demonstrates that dignified working conditions are possible and that inclusive cooperatives can support children’s education.

Training cooperatives and miners

Formalisation requires education and organisation. Programmes such as Cobalt for Development (C4D), implemented by Germany’s GIZ and Congolese partners, have created interactive training materials and methods. In cooperation with the mining authority SAEMAPE, C4D has trained 14 mining cooperatives in Lualaba province and now offers technical assistance and material support at multiple mine sites

Lessons cover legal requirements, health and safety, environmental management, and gender equality. The project emphasises that technical training must be accompanied by continuous coaching and community development, rehabilitating schools, offering agricultural training, and forming savings groups

The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has taken a similar approach in Ituri Province. With support from USAID and local NGOs, ARM reports that more than 830 miners have implemented improved practices and received training on the CRAFT Code, good governance, peacebuilding, gender‑based violence, and ASM formalisation

These trainings not only reduce accidents but also empower miners to negotiate better prices and resist exploitation. By teaching miners their rights under the Congolese Mining Code, the programmes help them transition from informal diggers (“creuseurs”) to members of legal cooperatives.

Challenges ahead

Despite these efforts, many artisanal miners still operate illegally or in unsafe conditions. Only 425 hectares of land were allocated to EGC for artisanal mining in February 2024

far short of what is needed for the estimated 200,000 artisanal miners in the Katanga region.

As Mongabay reports, cooperatives lack capital for equipment, and miners sometimes work on concessions belonging to industrial companies. Formalisation has shown promise, but scaling it up will require more zones, more buying stations, and stronger enforcement so that miners have viable alternatives to illegal pits.

Responsible Investment

KoBold’s AI‑powered exploration and compliance

At a time when cobalt and lithium are driving the energy transition, Congo is attracting new types of investors. In July 2025, the government signed a framework agreement with KoBold Metals, a U.S. company backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures and other technology billionaires.

The agreement commits KoBold to apply for exploration licences covering more than 1,600 square kilometres by 31 July 2025 and to launch a large‑scale exploration programme using artificial intelligence to locate critical minerals.

Under the deal, KoBold will digitise geological records at the Royal Museum for Central Africa and provide public access to data via Congo’s National Geological Service. Company representative Benjamin Katabuka said the partnership “opens the door to American investment and aligns with the broader vision of U.S.‑Congo collaboration for peace and prosperity.”

Why is this significant? Historically, exploration data in Congo has been opaque, benefiting only foreign investors. By digitising archives and making data public, the government aims to level the playing field and attract investors who adhere to compliance requirements, including child‑labour monitoring and environmental standards.

The contract is understood to include clauses requiring adherence to the CLMRS and respect for Congolese labour law, though the full terms remain confidential. The partnership also dovetails with the U.S. Lobito Corridor initiative to create secure supply chains and reduce Chinese dominance in critical minerals. Such geopolitical support gives Congo leverage to insist on social clauses.

European and American partnerships

KoBold is not alone. At the 2025 DRC Mining Week, the European Union highlighted progress on operationalising the EU‑DRC Strategic Partnership on Critical Raw Materials, signed in Brussels in October 2023. A roadmap adopted in December 2024 calls for sustainable local value chains and launched a project to combat child labour in artisanal cobalt mines by strengthening women’s livelihoods

In parallel, the U.S. government has financed the International Organization for Migration to train 200 labour inspectors for ASM sites, although they have yet to be fully deployed. These initiatives show that Congo is demanding “no investment without social clauses” and aligning with partners who respect that demand.

A new model of profit with responsibility

Taken together, these deals suggest a shift from the old model, where foreign companies extracted minerals under murky contracts, to a new one in which investment is conditional on compliance.

By requiring digital tracking of child labour, adherence to safety standards, and contributions to local development, Congo seeks to prove that resource wealth can fund a just transition instead of perpetuating exploitation. Investors gain access to vast deposits, while Congolese communities gain schools, health centres, and jobs.

Legacy Deals & Infrastructure

Renegotiating Sicomines

One of President Tshisekedi’s most consequential moves has been renegotiating the Sicomines agreement. The original 2008 “minerals‑for‑infrastructure” deal gave a consortium of Chinese state‑owned companies (Sinohydro and China Railway Group) a 68 % stake in a copper‑cobalt joint venture in exchange for building roads and hospitals financed by mining revenues.

A study commissioned by Congo’s EITI group later found the arrangement unbalanced: Chinese firms earned nearly US$10 billion, while Congo received just US$822 million in infrastructure. President Tshisekedi instructed his government to revise the contract, arguing that it was “poorly negotiated.”

The January 2024 renegotiation more than doubled the infrastructure budget, from US$3 billion to US$7 billion, and required the consortium to pay 1.2 % royalties annually. Chinese firms also agreed to invest up to US$7 billion in roads, bridges, and power plants.

This shift means more money for Congolese roads and less for foreign shareholders. The revised contract has a deadline for repaying infrastructure loans by 2028, offering a pathway to debt relief and economic development if managed transparently

Roads that connect communities

The impact of renegotiation is already visible. In July 2024, Alexis Gisaro Muvuni, Congo’s minister for infrastructure and public works, climbed into a wheel loader to launch the rehabilitation of the Mbuji Mayi–Nguba road, part of National Road 1 that links Kinshasa to Lubumbashi.

The ceremony marked the start of a 900‑km modernisation project funded under the revised China‑DRC “resources for projects” package. “Where the road goes, development follows,” Gisaro Muvuni said, praising the professionalism of the Chinese engineers and noting that the project would “open up new prospects” for cooperation.

The South China Morning Post reported that Chinese firms have also begun work on a US$300 million ring road in Kinshasa and other roads connecting resource‑rich regions to the capital, projects made possible by the renegotiated Sicomines deal.

These roads will reduce travel times, improve logistics, and connect farmers to markets. For decades, poor roads have isolated towns like Mbuji Mayi and Mbujimayi from national commerce. By paving National Road 1 and building ring roads, the government is turning mineral wealth into physical infrastructure that benefits ordinary people.

Redirecting revenues to people

Under the revised terms, Sicomines will pay royalties and taxes that flow into Congo’s public treasury. Analysts hope this revenue will fund schools, health clinics, and potable water rather than disappearing into overseas accounts.

In his January 2024 inauguration speech, President Tshisekedi said that mining revenues must be “redirected towards the well‑being of our people.” To ensure accountability, civil society organisations are monitoring disbursements through the EITI and publishing citizen‑friendly reports. The message is clear: Congolese resources should build Congolese infrastructure.

Outlook

Setting a new global standard

The combination of digital child‑labour monitoring, formalised artisanal mining, responsible investment, and renegotiated contracts positions Congo as a potential leader in ethical mineral extraction. Few countries in Asia or Latin America have developed a national database of child labourers like Congo’s CLMRS; many still rely on household surveys rather than site‑level tracking

By contrast, Congolese inspectors now carry tablets into mine pits, record children’s names, and trigger remediation. This system could serve as a model for other mining‑dependent nations struggling to measure and eliminate child labour.

Formalisation also holds promise. Programmes like C4D and ARM show that training cooperatives and miners in safety, governance, and environmental management can improve incomes and reduce accidents. Scaling these initiatives will require more artisanal mining zones, more capital for cooperatives, and stronger enforcement against illegal buyers. Yet the success stories from Mutoshi, where women’s integration allowed families to send children to school, prove that dignified ASM is achievable.

Youth empowerment and diasporic pride

For Congolese youth, particularly those in the diaspora, these reforms mean that tomorrow’s “miners” could instead become students, engineers, and entrepreneurs. As infrastructure improves and mining revenues fund education, young people will have alternatives to hazardous work. The fact that 6,000+ children have already been identified and are being reintegrated into schools shows that change is tangible

When miners enter cooperatives, adopt safety standards, and receive fair prices, their children no longer need to dig for cobalt. When investors are held to strict social clauses, profits flow back into communities. And when roads are paved from Kinshasa to Mbujimayi, remote villages become connected hubs of commerce and learning.

The road ahead

Challenges remain: the scale of child labour in Sub‑Saharan Africa is immense according to StopChildLabour, and formalised artisanal mining still serves only a fraction of diggers. But President Tshisekedi’s bold reforms have broken a long‑standing inertia.

They show that Congo is not condemned to the resource curse; instead, with political will, transparent partnerships, and youth engagement, the country can build a responsible mining future. As Nteba Soumano of the ILO put it, this is just the foundation. Scaling up will require continued vigilance from citizens and diaspora alike.

In a world racing toward renewable energy, the minerals powering that transition must not come at the cost of children’s dreams. Congo’s reforms offer a blueprint for balancing economic growth with human rights, a message that resonates far beyond its borders.

By 2030, the youths reading this article today could be overseeing modern mining cooperatives, designing lithium‑ion batteries, or paving the next highway. Tshisekedi’s reforms are not just about ending child labor; they are about building a nation where every Congolese child can choose a future of dignity.