A groundbreaking initiative by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is transforming the lives of thousands of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), rescuing them from hazardous work in artisanal cobalt mines and offering them education, vocational training, and their families sustainable economic alternatives. The program directly confronts the dark side of the global clean energy transition, where critical minerals like cobalt, essential for electric vehicles and consumer electronics, have historically fueled child labor.

A Childhood Lost to the Mine

Teenager Divine Komba spent years working in small-scale cobalt mines in the DRC's Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces, regions holding over 65% of the world's cobalt reserves. Enduring long hours, skin rashes, and illness, she earned about $2 a day. "We didn't like this job, but we had no choice - for us to eat, we had to work in the mine," Komba said. Her story is common, driven by rural poverty, rising food prices, and limited opportunities.

"We had to work to survive. Mining made us sick. Today, I earn a living fixing cars. I encourage other girls to join the programme and study." - Divine Komba, former child miner

Education and Empowerment as the Alternative

The AfDB's "Alternative Well-Being Support Project for Children and Youth Involved in the Cobalt Supply Chain" has identified over 16,800 at-risk children and integrated 13,587 back into school systems. Komba is now training as a mechanic at the Bank-supported Ruashi Social Promotion Centre. Another former miner, thirteen-year-old Beni Ciel Yumba Musoya, who once collected minerals at the Kasulo mine, now dreams of becoming a doctor.

Breaking the Cycle: Investing in Families and Farms

The program recognizes that removing children from mines requires addressing the root economic desperation of their families. It provides parents, particularly women, with training and support for income-generating agricultural activities. Komba's mother, for instance, learned poultry farming and joined a cooperative. The project has helped about 10,500 young parents transition to agribusiness and has established most of a targeted 1,250 agricultural cooperatives.

"Providing economic options to parents is providing a future for their children." - Alice Mirimo Kabetsi, Project Coordinator

Gender Officer Juliette Ayuknow Egbe emphasized the strategy: "The project demonstrates that tackling child labor also means investing in the economic transformation of communities, with a strong focus on empowering girls and women. Gender equality is a catalyst for lasting change."

Scale and Strategic Alignment

Aligned with the DRC government's national strategy to eliminate child labor in mining, and supported by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the project has wide-reaching goals. When fully implemented, it aims to create over 11,000 direct jobs, increase local staple food production from 10% to 50%, and directly benefit 1.4 million people, with a potential reach of 5.6 million.

The initiative also includes rehabilitating or constructing 40 educational, health, and water-sanitation structures in remote mining areas. By investing in both the youth and the economic fabric of their communities, the program offers a holistic model for addressing one of the most pressing human rights challenges within a critical global supply chain.