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Imagine getting into your electric car.....
You start the engine, knowing you’re driving something better for the planet, something that helps reduce emissions and move us toward a cleaner future.
But what if I told you that the battery powering that transition comes with a very real and severe human and environmental cost? Would you still call it “clean” energy?
Today, more than 70% of the world’s cobalt is extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt is a critical mineral used in the batteries that power electric vehicles, smartphones, and many other technologies.
But behind this mineral lies a reality we cannot ignore: communities affected by mining face pollution, unsafe working conditions, exploitation, health risks, and the destruction of ecosystems.
So we have to ask ourselves: Can we truly call it clean energy if the people and communities making that transition possible are paying the price? And sometimes, that price is their health. Their livelihood. Even their lives.
That is why our project has one clear mission: to improve the living conditions of communities living around the mining areas of Lubumbashi, so that the transition to clean energy becomes truly cleaner, for both people and the planet.
How do we make this happen? Through academic partnerships.
Why? Because when academic expertise works hand in hand with local communities, it can become a powerful catalyst for long-term impact, creating solutions that are not only scientifically grounded, but also locally adapted, sustainable, and driven by real community needs.
Our approach is built around six pillars:
· Biodiversity and climate change.
· Health and environment.
· Governance and security.
· Entrepreneurship.
· Smart agriculture.
· Institutional capacity building.
From protecting water resources and restoring biodiversity, to improving access to healthcare, strengthening governance, supporting local entrepreneurship, and developing sustainable agricultural practices, we aim to transform academic knowledge into practical solutions with lasting local impact.
This is not simply about mitigating the negative consequences of mining. It is about building stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities around it.
Together, we shape a different future.
Because a truly clean-energy future is not one that only protects the planet. It is one that also protects the people who make that future possible.
Context
Context
Between 2003 and 2018, the DRC has experienced an average economic growth of 5%, which was mainly driven by the Katangese copper and cobalt sector, accounting for more than 80% of the country’s export earnings. It is well known, however, that this growth has not trickled down to the majority of the population. Despite being the engine for the country’s growth, poverty and inequality remain high in the Katangese Copperbelt Area (KCA). The population faces many challenges related to food safety and food security, health and environmental pollution, poor governance and physical insecurity. Moreover, the exploitation of mineral resources (in large-scale and small-scale operations) has severe consequences for the sustainable management of natural resources.
By providing adequate training and building stronger multi-disciplinary research capacities, the University of Lubumbashi (UNILU), together with the local stakeholders, could make a significant contribution towards improving the situation, but lack of public funding has so far prevented UNILU from fully taking up this role. VLIR-UOS, the Flemish Interuniversity Council for Development Cooperation, offers funding for longterm Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) projects. Through adequate training, the creation of specialized Master programmes and an Environmental Observatory (within which existing specialized research centres will be integrated and others will be created), the enhancement of a critical mass of research leadership via PhD-qualified researchers, service to society and professionalization of the bachelor cycle, this IUC partnership will co-design and improve, by 2032, an interdisciplinary socio-ecological framework regarding biodiversity and climate change, environment, urbanization, health, governance, security, entrepreneurship, agro-pastoral sector and communities’ productivity and job training.
Theory of change of the IUC project
Theory of change of the IUC project
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