Mineral intelligence
Cobalt mining assets in Africa
Cobalt is the most geographically concentrated of the battery metals, and that concentration is the whole story for anyone trying to secure supply.
STRATUM does not yet publish verified cobalt assets. Intelligence on this mineral is gathered continuously, and members are notified as assets clear verification.
What members see
Grades and assay results, resource and reserve estimates, evidence provenance, deal structure, infrastructure and power, and the geospatial layer. Identity of the operator is released only to compliance-cleared members on an approved request.
Cobalt mining: uses, market and Africa’s position
What cobalt is
Cobalt is almost never mined for its own sake. It is recovered as a by-product of copper mining in the Central African Copperbelt and of nickel mining elsewhere, which means cobalt supply is largely set by decisions made about other metals.
What cobalt is used for
Battery cathodes
Cobalt improves energy density and cycle life in lithium ion cells. Chemistries have moved to reduce it, but not to remove it across the board.
Superalloys
Jet engine turbine blades and gas turbines, where cobalt alloys hold their strength at temperatures that would destroy ordinary steel.
Hard materials
Cobalt binds tungsten carbide in cutting tools and drill bits.
Catalysts and pigments
Petroleum refining catalysts, and the cobalt blue that has been used in ceramics and glass for centuries.
Cobalt market outlook
Cobalt sits at the intersection of two pressures. Battery makers have worked to reduce cobalt loading per cell, while total cell production has risen sharply. At the same time buyers face growing scrutiny over provenance, particularly around artisanal supply chains, so verified and traceable material commands a position that untraceable material does not.
Cobalt in Africa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo supplies the substantial majority of world cobalt, overwhelmingly as a copper by-product. Zambia produces cobalt from the same geological belt. This concentration is precisely why manufacturers and governments are funding supply diversification.
What to check on a cobalt asset
For a cobalt asset, understand that the economics usually sit with the host metal. Check the cobalt grade and, more importantly, whether recovery has actually been demonstrated in the flowsheet, since cobalt is frequently lost to tailings. Provenance and traceability documentation now carry real commercial weight with Western buyers.