Resource Matters Annual Report 2023

Mining

The global energy transition hinges on minerals abundant in the DRC, notably copper and cobalt, offering a vital opportunity for inclusive economic growth and development. Mining exports are booming, breaking new records each year. However, communities in mining regions continue to face deepening poverty. Despite a comprehensive revision of the Mining Code in 2018 aiming to boost mandatory contributions of the mining industry to community development, tangible progress remains elusive.

In response, Resource Matters focused on two key areas in the mining sector in 2023 : (a) enhancing critical minerals governance, promoting transparency and sustainability in the supply chain, and (b) improving the management of local mining tax revenues to ensure effective contribution to community development.

Electricity

Despite its abundant energy potential, the DRC continues to struggle with improving access to electricity, with less than 20% of the population having access. This lack of electrification significantly hampers development and diminishes the quality of life for the Congolese people.

Resource Matters has identified several root causes behind Congo’s electricity gaps, including the absence of a clear electrification plan at both national and provincial levels, a tendency to prioritize expensive large-scale projects over more cost-effective local solutions, and electricity strategies that prioritize powerful clients, such as the mining industry, over households. Resource Matters is committed to contributing to the adequate and sustainable meeting of electricity demand in the DRC in a clean, sustainable, and affordable manner.

Corruption

Corruption is a widespread epidemic in the DRC, hindering efforts to translate natural wealth into development for its people. Resource Matters is deeply committed to combating corruption in the DRC in general and in the mining sector in particular, both independently and as a founding member of the Coalition Congo is not for Sale (CNPAV). In collaboration with 13 other national and international organizations, CNPAV fights corruption through public awareness, research and advocacy, and legal action for greater accountability. Read our annual report to discover some of our investigations and advocacy to hold corrupt actors to account.