The Democratic Republic of Congo has inaugurated its first pilot gold refinery in the city of Kalémie, marking a strategic effort to process gold locally and curb fraud in the mining sector, officials said Friday.
The industrial facility, named DRC Gold Refinery S.A., is the result of a public-private partnership between the state-owned DRC Gold Trading and private company Lunga Mining. With a capacity of 500 to 600 kilograms of gold per month, the refinery will handle multiple stages of the production process, from raw gold purchase to the creation of refined gold bars with up to 99.9 percent purity.
“The refinery is a major step forward for the country’s gold industry and will help us reclaim control over our mineral resources,” said Louis Watum, Minister of Mines. He noted that the project positions the Democratic Republic of Congo to strengthen its role in international gold markets while ensuring more value is added domestically.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by several government officials, including Guylain Nyembo, Minister of State in charge of Planning, and Julie Shiku, Minister of Portfolio, along with provincial authorities and representatives of the mining sector.
Authorities said the refinery will also help formalize the gold trade, providing an official channel for artisanal miners, buying counters, and small mining companies to sell their production under more transparent conditions. By structuring the sector, the government aims to reduce smuggling and fraudulent practices that have long plagued eastern DR Congo’s gold industry.
“This facility is more than industrial infrastructure; it represents a transformation in how we manage our natural resources,” Minister Watum added. “We are creating a system that ensures traceability, compliance, and economic benefit for the nation.”
The project is aligned with broader policies designed to maximize the economic impact of the country’s mineral wealth. By refining gold locally, the government hopes to capture a larger share of value from the sector, supporting industrial development, employment, and economic growth.
Officials also emphasized that informal actors in the gold sector are encouraged to integrate into the new system. Authorities believe that by promoting a regulated and transparent gold market, the country can build investor confidence, improve revenue collection, and attract further investment in downstream processing and related industries.
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Kalémie, the capital of Tanganyika province, has become a focal point for the initiative. The new refinery is expected to serve as a pilot for potential expansion across other gold-producing regions, reinforcing the government’s aim to develop a national network of processing facilities.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa’s largest producer of cobalt and one of the continent’s top gold producers, has historically exported large volumes of unprocessed minerals. Officials say that by keeping processing and value addition within national borders, the country can improve economic returns, stimulate local industry, and enhance the livelihoods of miners and communities dependent on the sector.
“This refinery is a first, but it signals the beginning of a new era in the Congolese mining sector, where our resources generate tangible benefits for the population,” said Guylain Nyembo.
The opening of a pilot gold refinery in Kalemie marks part of a broader effort by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to capture more value from its mineral resources and address long-standing challenges in the country’s gold sector.
Rich mineral resources but limited local processing
The DRC is one of the world’s most resource-rich countries, with vast reserves of minerals including cobalt, copper, diamonds and gold. Mining accounts for the overwhelming share of the country’s export earnings, making it central to the national economy. Democratic Republic of the Congo is also a major global supplier of several strategic minerals used in modern technologies.
Despite this wealth, much of the country’s mineral output has historically been exported in raw or semi-processed form. In the case of gold, large volumes produced by artisanal and small-scale miners are often smuggled out of the country to neighbouring states where the metal is refined and sold on international markets. This has limited government revenue and reduced the value the country derives from its resources.
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Widespread artisanal mining and informal trade
Gold production in eastern DRC is dominated by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), involving hundreds of thousands of miners working in informal conditions. While this sector provides livelihoods for many communities, it is also associated with weak regulation, environmental damage and illicit trading networks.
Because much of this gold enters informal supply chains, authorities have struggled to track production and collect taxes or royalties. Smuggling and fraud have been persistent challenges, depriving the government of potential foreign-exchange earnings.
Government push for value addition and transparency
In response, the Congolese government has in recent years launched reforms aimed at formalising the gold sector and increasing domestic processing. The pilot refinery in Kalemie is part of this strategy.
The refinery—developed through a partnership between the state-owned company DRC Gold Trading SA and private firm Lunga Mining—is designed to handle the full gold value chain, from purchasing gold from miners to refining it and producing bullion bars for export.
With an estimated processing capacity of 500–600 kilograms of gold per month, the facility allows the country to refine a portion of its gold domestically and export bullion with a purity of about 99.9 percent, meeting international standards.
Efforts to formalise the artisanal sector
Another key objective of the refinery is to integrate artisanal miners into a formal supply chain. Authorities believe the project will help create transparent buying systems, improve traceability and ensure fair pricing for miners. It is also expected to reduce smuggling by encouraging producers to sell through official channels.
The government has set targets to increase official gold exports and strengthen monitoring of mineral production as part of broader reforms in the mining sector.
Earlier attempts at refining gold locally
The Kalemie refinery is not the country’s first attempt to develop local gold refining capacity. A previous project by Congo Gold Raffinerie in Bukavu failed to launch after its license was revoked in 2023 due to unmet obligations, including community commitments.
Strategic significance
By opening the Kalemie pilot refinery, the DRC aims to reduce reliance on foreign refining centres, increase transparency in the gold trade and retain more revenue within the country. The project could also serve as a model for larger refining facilities in the future as the government seeks to industrialise more of its mineral value chain.
If successful, the initiative could mark an important step toward transforming the country from a raw mineral exporter into a producer of higher-value refined commodities.
