+256789125443 Columbite-tantalite, or Coltan for short, is a dull metallic ore from which two key minerals can be extracted, Niobium and Tantalum. Once refined, Tantalum is one of the vital ingredients for the world’s electronics industry, with Niobium used primarily in high strength steels.

70% of DRCs Coltan is consumed by the electronics industry, with Tantalum itself being highly conductive. As such it is primarily used to create capacitors in circuit boards in phones, tablets, laptops, ink jet printers, camera lenses, jet engines, prosthetic devices, pacemakers, games consoles, and many other technologies we have come to depend on.

With an ever growing demand on new devices and technology, the demand for Coltan will inevitably grow. There is no current alternative for this ore.

Where does it come from?

The Democratic Republic of Congo possesses 80% of the world’s Coltan, with the ore mined by hand across the DRC, with methods and conditions similar to those in the 19th Century Californian Gold Rush. The violence surrounding Congo’s Coltan mines escalated dramatically when the price of Coltan soared after the technology boom in the late 1990s, making it one of the DRCs most controversial conflict minerals.

1kg costs around $100, but prices have historically been as high as $600 per kg. A Congolese Coltan miner can earn up to $200 per month. However according to a recent report by Amnesty International children as young as seven are working in Congolese mines, being paid a dollar a day to extract this ore.