Podcast - Qui perd, qui gagne? Ep. 7: Lithium from Manono: between hope and despair

The Democratic Republic of the Congo possesses one of the largest lithium deposits in the world. Lithium is a highly sought-after mineral today because it is used to make rechargeable batteries for electronic devices.

In fact, this appears to be one of the deposits that could be of interest to the Trump administration in light of the much-discussed mining deal between the DRC and the United States. Its exploitation could place the province of Tanganyika at the forefront of the green energy revolution. However, mining has not yet begun, and the long wait is plunging the people of Manono into uncertainty; they also complain that their social situation is not improving. Suspicions of corruption have surrounded Zijin Mining’s acquisition of the permit, with $70 million granted as a donation to a private NGO while the state received only about $30 million for its sold shares.

In this “Qui perd, qui gagne?” podcast, we take you to the Manono region in Tanganyika to explore the main issues and the expectations of the local population.

This podcast is produced by Actualité.cd in collaboration with Resource Matters.

Reporting: José Mukendi

Production: Olivier Muamba

Music: Samuel Hirsch