DRC Gold Ore Sparks Discussion Among Mining Stakeholders

Gold ore from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was at the heart of discussions, on Tuesday October 24, 2023, between both private and public players in the mining sector.

Initiated by Prince Nyampala, these meetings, organized in collaboration with the Chamber of Mines of the DRC, focus on the theme: “gold, a structuring pillar of the development of the Democratic Republic of Congo”.

Speaking in a panel, the Managing Director of Primera Gold, Joseph Kazibaziba, revealed that the province of South Kivu transits a minimum of three tonnes of artisanal gold per month, or more than 36 tonnes of gold l ‘year.

“I can tell you with certainty that the province of South Kivu moves at least 3 tonnes of gold per month. We are at an average of nearly 600 kilograms per month but we have not yet reached 50% of our forecasts,” indicated Joseph Kazibaziba.

Responding to the question about the more pronounced presence of Primera Gold in the province of South Kivu than the other provinces of the country, Joseph Kazibaziba noted that significant quantities of gold coming from other provinces leave through South Kivu.

“Primera Gold is not only in the province of South Kivu. We started with South Kivu because South Kivu, in itself, on the entire west coast, transits gold which comes from several provinces of the DRC.

 South Kivu has more than twenty officially approved gold purchasing counters. Through these counters, the DRC received capital from several countries including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania. “, he said.

According to him, uncontrolled gold transits in this part of the DRC favor the injection of more than two (2) billion dollars. What escapes the public treasury and the end consumers are also not known.

“This is how the DRC looked at the other side of the war. She said to herself that the minerals would also be one of the reasons for this war.

 When you have a province that captures 2 billion USD that is not controlled, it can be used to finance the war. », concluded the Managing Director of Primera Gold.

At the start of the day, Prince Nyampala recalled that the DRC is a geological scandal, with gold reserves estimated in 2021 at nearly 2,000 tonnes and 64 million ounces.

Despite the country’s immense gold wealth, he noted, the majority of the Congolese population lives in poverty.