The Support the Alternative Welfare of Children and Young People Involved in the Cobalt Supply Chain Project (PABEA-COBALT) is designed is order to ensure the social reintegration of about 14,850 children (girls and boys) working in cobalt mines. It covers Lualaba and Haut-Katanga Provinces, which hold more than 65% of global cobalt reserves. The project supports the implementation of the "National Strategy for the Exit of Children from the Copper and Cobalt Ore Production Chain in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba Provinces", of which Thrust 1 focuses on "reducing the economic vulnerability of households by promoting agricultural cooperatives and entrepreneurship". The extreme household poverty being the real cause of this scourge and that improving the living conditions of households is the most effective way of eliminating it, the project will ensure the socio-economic reconversion of the children's 6,250 parents (all young) to the agricultural sector, which has the greatest potential for economic diversification. It will create 11,250 direct jobs and thousands of indirect job, and will restructure 1,250 youth agricultural cooperatives. The PABEA-COBALT comprises three components, namely: (i) support for the promotion of alternative economic opportunities and improvement of the living conditions of the populations in the project area; (ii) institutional support for the promotion of the responsible supply chain for cobalt ores; and (iii) project management (including implementation of the ESMP).

The project's objective is to contribute to improving the living conditions of people in the Lualaba and Haut-Katanga Provinces and establishing a responsible cobalt ore supply chain in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The direct project beneficiaries are 14,850 children (below 18 years of age) and 6,250 (all young: 18-34 years) children's parents working in cobalt mines. These people in general expressed themselves on the precariousness of their work. The project will also benefit the Government through institutional support for the establishment of a permanent mechanism to combat child labour in mines. The aim is to support a permanent framework for consultation between stakeholders to promote the social responsibility of mining companies and ensure better mobilisation and channelling of societal royalties provided for in the provisions of the new Mining Code, and thereby extend the elimination of child labour to other mines throughout the country.

BISSAKONOU Judes

j.bissakonou@afdb.org

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/.