The rate of signature of specifications that take into account the sustainable development needs of the populations affected by mining falls short of expectations. This is the finding of a study entitled “Livre blanc sur les cahiers des charges des entreprises minières en R.D. Congo”, published in November 2024 by the Carter Center.
In its report, the Carter Center informs that of the 402 cahiers des charges planned between 2018 and 2024, only 71 have been signed, representing a completion rate of 18%.
The Carter Center’s experts reveal that the annual budgets agreed represent an average of just 0.2% of the sales of the mining companies concerned.
“Estimates made on the basis of a sample of ten (10) signed and approved cahiers des charges that the Carter Center team was able to examine show that the budget for the cahier des charges signed for five (5) years is financed on average by 1% of the single year’s sales of each of these mining companies. This means that the annual budget for these specifications is around 0.2% of these mining companies’ sales. These estimates reflect the overall trend of low budgets for specifications signed between 2018 and 2024,” the report states.
The Carter Center explains the low rate of signing of cahiers de charge and the modest budgets allocated to those already signed by the asymmetry of information between communities and companies. A lack of a sustainable investment culture among certain operators and a lack of will are also thought to explain this situation.
Olivier KAFORO