Research team
Expertise
Bossissi Nkuba, is a professor at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) of UAntwerpen, the Earth Science department of RMCA, and the Expertise Center on Mining and Environmental Governance (CEGEMI) of UCBukavu. He is director of the award-winning documentary ‘Cobalt Rush’. His PhD focused on artisanal gold mining (ASGM)-derived pollutants in waters, fish and humans, as well as the sociopolitical dynamics behind such pollutions. His research focuses on governance of natural resources (sand, stones, minerals, water, etc.). This includes: water quality & access in mining cities; copper & cobalt mining in DRC; sand mining & construction in Bukavu; water pollution in Ethiopia; development of DRC’s ASGM 2020-2035 National Action Plan (NAP); implementation of ASGM NAPs in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea & Zimbabwe.
Uneven, unsafe and insufficient water access: resource governance in a mineral rush (WATERRUSH).
Abstract
The global energy transition requires countries to transition to a low-carbon economy. But it still depends on critical minerals to produce, among others, the lithium-ion batteries needed for electric vehicles. The booming production of such batteries has intensified the global demand for cobalt, a mineral for which about 70% of global production currently takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s Copperbelt region. This cobalt boom is further fueling urban expansion and population growth at a rate that is likely to be unsustainable for some key resources such as water. Furthermore, the booming demand has inflamed artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While providing more labour opportunities to local populations, ASM also increased the pressure on natural resources through population growth as well as polluting extraction and processing techniques. In this project we will focus on water quality and access to water in urbanised mining areas in the Copperbelt. The overarching aim of this research project is to understand the distribution of water resources, the dynamics of water pollution in the Katanga and the uneven access to clean water, in order to propose policies that can ensure a fair, safe and sufficient access to clean water for communities in cities and mining areas. Three specific objectives will be pursued: 1) assessing the availability of water resources and natural risks due to the local geology and presence of (potentially toxic) metals in the soil and underground, 2) assessing the anthropogenic risks due to mining activities and human settlements. These risks will include pollution of water resources, biodiversity loss and risks for human communities, and 3) understanding the political ecology of water governance in this region. These objectives will be pursued through three interlinked work packages with specific disciplinary and methodological approaches, including the production of validated maps and participatory mapping; water, sediment, macroinvertebrate and fish samples; survey and interviews. The principal researcher will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team at RMCA, IOB and Ecosphere. The project is justified by the strategic importance of cobalt in the green energy transition, as well as its negative externalities in terms of water pollution and uneven access to water resources for local populations.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Geenen Sara
- Fellow: Nkuba Bossissi
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Research work relating to the Health, Wellbeing and Nutrition Domain for ACRC in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Abstract
This project represents a formal research agreement between UAntwerpen and on the other hand the client. UAntwerpen provides the client research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Nkuba Bossissi
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project