East African Mining News Unearthing Mining Opportunities in East Africa
Related Articles
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched its first state-backed gold refinery in an effort to bring order to a sector long plagued by smuggling, conflict financing and informal trade in the country’s mineral-rich east.
The facility is the product of a joint venture between state-owned DRC Gold Trading SA and Lunga Mining SA, operating under the name DRC Gold Refinery SA. Situated in Kalemie on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, it will process gold sourced from artisanal miners across the country, with a target output of up to 600 kilograms per month once fully operational.
Authorities describe the project as a cornerstone of a wider push to bring transparency and regulation to Congo’s gold trade,a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of people but has historically functioned largely outside formal commercial channels.
DRC Gold Trading, which began operations three years ago under the name Primera, was established with a specific mandate to capture greater state revenue from the informal gold economy. The refinery marks a significant expansion of that ambition.
The venture has not been without controversy. United Nations experts have previously raised concerns about the company’s supply chain monitoring and the risk that gold purchases could inadvertently channel funds to armed groups still active in eastern Congo.
Officials acknowledge the scrutiny but maintain that formalising the artisanal mining sector rather than leaving it to operate in the shadows is the more effective path to reducing both illicit trade and conflict financing. Whether the refinery can deliver on that promise will depend, in large part, on the rigour of the oversight mechanisms put in place around it.
