A database of artisanal, small-scale, and large-scale mining in the Copperbelt region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia

Cobalt, designated a critical mineral by the European Union and the United States, is a crucial component of the lithium-ion batteries found in cell phones, electric vehicles, and personal computing devices. Over half of the world’s cobalt supply is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where cobalt is mined in both large-scale and artisanal or small-scale operations. This dataset focuses on Africa’s mineral-rich Copperbelt region, an area mined for both copper and cobalt, that extends south across the DRC boundary into neighboring Zambia. Existing geoscientific data and remote sensing analysis were investigated to build a comprehensive dataset describing cobalt mining extent and technique (large- or artisanal/small-scale). Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.