The Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, created a State monopoly that will buy all output not extracted by industrial operators in a bid to exert more control over the price of the key ingredient in rechargeable batteries. The central African nation dominates output of the metal, accounting for more than 70% of the global market in 2018. While most Congolese cobalt comes from large, mechanised mines operated by companies including Glencore, artisanal miners can account for as much as a quarter of the nation’s output.
