New Publication: The politics of potentiality: Responsible sourcing, ASM formalization and future making in the DRC’s cobalt mines

The South-Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the majority of the total global production of cobalt, a mineral high in demand in the context of the transition from fossil fuels to green energy technologies. In 2022 Congo produced 130,000 metric tons of cobalt, representing 68 per cent of the total world production (USGS 2023: 21). The cobalt demand and production surge has fuelled narratives, expectations and hopes about its potentiality for future socio-economic development, especially on the level of small-scale cobalt producers. Simultaneously, geopolitical developments, regional tensions, technological evolvement, and many other factors contribute to uncertainties about how the future of cobalt mining will play out. In this paper we unpack the key components of what is referred to in the anthropological literature as ‘future making’: the various ways in which individuals try to make their personal futures possible whilst at the same time engaging with promises about the future made by governments, donors and other influential institutional actors (Jovanović, 2025). We contend that the future of specifically ASM cobalt in the DRC is not neutral or linear but rather constructed, contested, and subject to power and agency.