BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

Business Daily

Factual: Money

The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.

Business Daily: Elements: Tantalum and Niobium

Bulletins

Elements: Tantalum & Niobium

02/03/2016 GMT

Elements: Tantalum and Niobium

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Elements: Tantalum and Niobium

Are these notorious conflict minerals still being smuggled into and laundered in Rwanda?

Is coltan - the notorious conflict mineral from which two hi-tech metals are derived - still being smuggled from DR Congo into Rwanda, to evade taxes and sourcing controls?

Is coltan - the notorious conflict mineral which two hi-tech metals Tantalum and Niobium are derived - still being smuggled from DR Congo into Rwanda, to evade taxes and sourcing controls? Laurence Knight investigates the hi-tech roles to which these two chemical elements are put in gadgets and telecommunications. He also discusses the bloody history behind the mining of their ore in the heart of Africa with Sophia Pickles of human rights organisation Global Witness. And, the BBC challenges the Rwandan authorities and chip maker Intel about what they are doing to address allegations of current-day smuggling of coltan across the border from Congo to be laundered in Rwanda.

(Photo: A miner cleans freshly dug coltan ore at the Abahizi co-operative mine in Ngara, Rwanda)

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Business Daily

Elements: Tantalum and Niobium

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service