Miners in Manono, Democratic Republic of Congo, earn less than $200 a month, enduring inhumane working conditions while global corporations backed by billionaires like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos expand their operations to extract critical minerals. This stark reality persists as KoBold Metals, a company founded 8 years ago, deploys artificial intelligence to locate lithium deposits in a region where the poverty rate stands at 88 percent. The company's geologists use high-precision GPS and tablets, feeding data to an AI system running thousands of kilometers away at its California base. KoBold has established its base in Manono, a remote town in the southeastern DRC.
Imperial Scramble for Resources
KoBold's arrival is part of a broader US strategy to secure supplies of strategic minerals. This move aims to reduce China’s dominance in a sector where it controls 70 to 80 percent of the Congolese copper and cobalt market. The DRC is the world’s top producer of cobalt and the second-largest producer of copper, both essential for so-called clean energy technologies, including rechargeable batteries. KoBold is betting on lithium, a vital component for electric cars, with global demand projected to more than double by 2030. Benjamin Katabuka, KoBold’s managing director in the DRC, stated, "We have very encouraging results," without providing further details. The American company remains in the exploration stage, hoping to commence production in a few years.
Since 2025, KoBold has acquired 14 exploration permits, covering over 3,000 square kilometers. This acquisition preceded the strategic partnership agreement signed between Washington and Kinshasa in December. This agreement serves as the economic arm of US support, which has, so far unsuccessfully, sought to restore peace in the eastern DRC, a region ravaged by conflict for 30 years. Currently, only one other American company, Virtus Minerals, holds assets in the DRC. Katabuka noted that "Almost a year since the agreement was signed, but American investment hasn't poured in." Mining and diplomatic sources indicate that talks are planned to attract American investment into a Congolese mining sector notorious for corruption and financial and environmental scandals. KoBold plans to invest more than $50 million in the DRC by early 2027.
KoBold's teams have been active since April, collecting an average of 2,000 soil samples each week. These analyses, taken at shallow depths, detect specific "geochemical signatures" indicating the presence of pegmatite, the mineral from which lithium is extracted. The company’s AI system then generates predictive models. Kevin Tambwe, the lab manager, explained, "Once we've determined the presence of lithium at very specific points, that allows us to target the drilling." This AI system has processed vast datasets, including historical geological maps, old drill logs dating back to the colonial era, and satellite images. KoBold aims for its technology to compete with established giants like China’s Zijin, which shipped its first tons of concentrate in June from a massive mine adjacent to KoBold’s permits.
The Cost of Extraction
In Manono, the arrival of American companies generates mixed reactions; hopes are tempered by deep distrust. The region has endured over a century of mining operations that have taken a severe toll on its people. Vicar general Wilson Katende expressed hope that "competition" might force an improvement in working conditions. He alluded to miners often earning less than $200 a month at existing operations, stating, "Right now, you don't feel like people here have been fairly paid." On the streets, economic activity remains sluggish. Motorbike taxi drivers transport workers to Chinese or Indian mines for just a few dollars. The Lukushi River, a vital local resource, has been diverted to serve mining operations. Elders recall that this tributary of the Congo River once teemed with fish and sustained the town. Congolese army soldiers are visible, and reports of Mai-Mai local militias have recently emerged in nearby villages. Manono itself was founded in the early 20th century by Belgian colonizers for tin production. Following independence in 1960, the town plunged into poverty due to plummeting commodity prices and years of turbulence. Territory administrator Cyprien Kitanga highlighted the systemic neglect, stating, "Manono lacks drinking water. Manono is not electrified." He recounted how past mining companies "came, took the ore, and left holes behind for the children of Manono." The recent discovery of lithium has shaken the town from its torpor, yet the local workforce continues to condemn inhumane working conditions.
Labor's Resistance
Despite the harsh realities, resistance is visible. One unnamed man, dressed in work clothes, expressed a desire to work for the Americans. Earlier that same morning, miners burned tires at the entrance to the mine operated by China’s Zijin. Their protest targeted meagre wages and endless workdays. Zijin issued a statement to AFP, claiming it had "engaged with employee representatives" and agreed to measures addressing their concerns.