We unpack the winning proposal from the 2026 Oxford Africa Policy Innovation Blueprint competition, in which young African students used Earth4All as inspiration to pitch policy proposals for the continent
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces an estimated 75% of the world’s cobalt, making it central to the global cobalt supply chain. Cobalt is used in some lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and other technologies. Yet people living and working around cobalt mines continue to face poverty, limited electricity access and unsafe working conditions.
For Rachel Itenderezwe, this gap between the value of a resource and the lives of the people producing it became the premise for her winning policy proposal in the 2026 Oxford Africa Policy Innovation Blueprint Competition, held in partnership with the Oxford Africa Conference and Earth4All. The competition offered a platform for young Africans to rethink systems and propose solutions for Africa, drawing on the Earth4All turnarounds.
The Mineral-Energy Sovereignty Pact: Rewriting Who Benefits from the DRC’s Cobalt Wealth asks how the DRC can capture more value from its mineral wealth and use it to improve the lives of communities around mining sites. We spoke to Rachel about why she chose cobalt, how Earth4All influenced her thinking and what she hopes the proposal could change.
Why did you choose cobalt and the DRC for your proposal?
The DRC is rich in the minerals needed for the clean-energy transition, especially cobalt. But when you look at the communities where these minerals are extracted, you see poverty, limited access to electricity and people working in unsafe conditions.
That made me ask a simple question: if these resources are so valuable to the global economy, how can the people and communities where they are extracted benefit from them too?
What would it take for the DRC to capture more value from its cobalt wealth?
The proposal connects three of Earth4All’s five turnarounds: inequality, energy and poverty. Based on this, I proposed three pacts to help the DRC derive more value from its cobalt wealth.
1. Progressive Cobalt Levy
The current flat royalty approach would be replaced with a progressive levy that increases as cobalt prices rise:
- 10% when prices are below $30,000 per tonne
- 18% on additional revenue between $30,001 and $60,000 per tonne
- 28% on incremental revenue above $60,000 per tonne
The state would also take a minimum 15% equity stake in new or renewed mining agreements, potentially rising to 25% within five years.
2. Community Energy Contribution
Mining operators would invest at least 15% of annual operational energy infrastructure expenses in decentralised community energy networks within 50 kilometres of their mine footprint. Community energy committees, with at least 30% women’s representation, would help decide which projects meet local needs.
3. Mineral Wellbeing Fund
Progressive royalty revenue and state equity dividends would flow into a Mineral Wellbeing Fund, allocating:
- 40% to healthcare
- 35% to education, including support for girls to stay in school
- 25% to community energy
The proposal also includes a formalisation desk for artisanal miners to register legally, access safety equipment and sell through certified channels. Two fund board seats would be reserved for representatives of artisanal mining communities.
Why was community participation important to you?
Sometimes companies conduct environmental impact assessments and consultations as part of the procedure. But after that, decisions can still be taken without going back to the people who were consulted.
Citizens are rights-holders and decision-makers. If mining activities are happening in their communities and using their resources, they should be involved in decisions about those activities.
What could success look like for the DRC and Africa?
It would be a big win for the DRC, but also for Africa and the wider clean-energy transition.
For communities around mining areas, success could mean women and children getting better access to healthcare and education, more children staying in school and communities gaining access to electricity. It could also mean safer conditions and better opportunities for artisanal miners.
At a wider level, I want to see a fairer relationship between African countries and the countries and companies that depend on their minerals. Providing these resources is not charity. Africa should receive fair compensation for what it provides and have more opportunities to retain value from its resources.
What do you hope to learn from your Earth4All internship?
I want to learn more about economic modelling and how it can help countries plan for the future.
The Earth4All Too Little, Too Late scenario projects that up to 900 million people in sub-Saharan Africa could be living in extreme poverty by 2100 if current development patterns continue. This projection shows the need for governments to rethink the policies that govern their economies rather than assume development will happen on its own. If governments can understand where their populations could be in the future, they can use that information to redesign policies and avoid remaining stuck.
I also want to explore Earth4All’s five turnarounds and how they interact. In my proposal, The Mineral-Energy Sovereignty Pact: Rewriting Who Benefits from the DRC’s Cobalt Wealth, poverty, inequality and energy are closely connected, so I want to understand how Earth4All approaches those relationships and whether my thinking is aligned with theirs.
Read more about Earth4All scenarios in Africa in the SDGs for All Africa report.
