The gold reserves of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are a real treasure. With nearly 2,000 tonnes of gold, the country holds immense gold wealth. However, despite this abundance, the DRC is not among the top 10 gold producers on the continent.
These impressive figures were revealed during the first edition of National Gold Day (WOLO), which took place on October 24, 2023. The central theme of this event was “gold, a structuring pillar of the development of Democratic Republic of Congo”.
The DRC’s gold reserves represent a market value of more than 120.896 billion US dollars. Unfortunately, this wealth does not fully benefit the Congolese public treasury.
According to gold market specialists, more than three tonnes of artisanal gold escape the control of the Congolese state each month. This represents an injection of $2 billion into the country’s economy, but these financial flows are not tracked by regulators.
Since December 2022, the company Primera Gold has exported an average of 600 kg of artisanal gold per month, which has allowed the DRC to better control this activity. Before that, the country only managed to control 38 kg of artisanal gold every month.
The first edition of the WOLO forum was an opportunity to formulate several recommendations to improve the gold sector in the DRC. Among these, improving the legal framework in order to make this sector more attractive.
These gold reserves in the DRC represent enormous potential for the country. It is therefore essential to put in place measures to maximize the benefits of this natural wealth and ensure rigorous control of artisanal gold mining. This will allow the DRC to take full advantage of its resources and put them at the service of the economic and social development of the country.