“The kids in Africa are generally mining cobalt, not lithium.
So I wonder what Musk is doing about that.”

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Don’t know, this is what I found after a quick search:

Tesla secures new cobalt deal as it phases out the controversial mineral
by Fred Lambert
Jun 16 2020

“Tesla has secured a new cobalt supply deal with mining giant Glencore as it phases out the controversial battery material.
Cobalt is a controversial mineral due to most of it coming from mining operations in Congo, a place that has historically been affected by conflict and corruption, which has resulted in child labor in some mining operations.

Most tech and auto companies using cobalt have taken steps to avoid sourcing from those operations, but it’s a hard thing to track since it changes hands several times before reaching a battery cell.

Tesla is looking to reduce the amount of cobalt needed in its battery cells, but with the massive production ramp-up, it is expected to still need the large volumes of the mineral going forward.”

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Tesla doubles down on ethical sourcing with cobalt mining risk analysis
By William Johnson
April 25, 2023

“Tesla has published a new report on its efforts to make its cobalt supply chain significantly more ethical, safe, and secure.
By far, cobalt is the most difficult to acquire mineral required to make a battery for an electric vehicle.

The material often requires significant chemical processing to remove it from the ground; it is usually found in rock formations that can release toxic gases when mined, and to make things worse, the primary sources of the material are some of the poorest countries on Earth. Now, Tesla has published an analysis as part of its 2022 Impact Report, detailing its efforts to make the mining process more ethical and safe.”

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Tesla joins Fair Cobalt Alliance in support of moral mining efforts
By Joey Klender
September 8, 2020

“Tesla has joined the Fair Cobalt Alliance, a group dedicated to the development of fair cobalt by ensuring responsible mining practices and challenging investments into mine improvements. The organization also aims to minimize the environmental impact of cobalt mining and create decent working conditions for those who work at a mine.

FCA works to keep children from working within any cobalt mine as well, as the group establishes control and monitoring mechanisms to ensure fair labor that does not include underage workers.

Tesla is one of ten total members of the Fair Cobalt Alliance, joining Glencore, the company’s cobalt provider.”

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Tesla explains its approach to sourcing lithium, nickel, and cobalt directly from mines in impressive detail
By Fred Lambert 
May 9 2022

“Tesla released interesting and rare details about its approach to sourcing lithium, nickel, and cobalt directly from mines instead of through its cell suppliers. This approach is going to be critical as companies fight to secure those minerals for battery production to support electric vehicle growth.

While Tesla sources the vast majority of its battery cells from suppliers, it actually sources a large part of the materials used to build those batteries directly from mines.

This approach enables Tesla to have direct relationships with miners of critical minerals and helps secure supply while allowing the company to monitor quality closely and ensure responsible environmental and social sourcing.

Tesla explained in its latest Impact Report:

While cobalt, nickel, and lithium go through multiple processing steps by different companies, some of the more important environmental and social risks in this supply chain are present at mine sites. Direct sourcing from mining companies allows Tesla to engage directly in local contexts instead of having to rely on multiple midstream companies that typically sit between EV makers and mining. It also enables more transparent and traceable supply chains and better environmental and social data.

Tesla even released some very rare and interesting details about the effort.

The automaker says that it had directly sourced over 95% of the lithium hydroxide, 50% of the cobalt, and more than 30% of the nickel used in its high-energy density cells (NCA and NCM) in 2021. The rest came from deals between the battery cell manufacturers and their own material suppliers.

As we previously reported, Tesla also released a list of the nine mining companies that are supplying those minerals.

Another, less discussed aspect of the company’s Impact Report is that it makes it clear how aware Tesla is that mining and its environmental and social impact are going to become more significant challenges for EV adoption in the future.

The automaker wrote:

Cobalt, lithium and nickel are also “minerals” – in that they are raw materials that are produced through different methods of mining around the world, often concentrated in countries that face socio-economic and environmental challenges. As known global reserves are depleted, these minerals are becoming increasingly scarce, and companies look to access resources in more remote and challenging locations to meet global demand.

Cobalt, lithium and nickel are also classified as critical minerals by the United States, European Union and Canadian governments because they are essential in enabling a transition away from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy. As a result, the impact of mining activity on the environment and local communities lends itself to greater environmental and social scrutiny from civil society, policymakers and investors.

In response, Tesla has joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), and the company’s direct-sourcing approach also helps ensure the implementation of those standards.”