The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is intensifying efforts to formalise its gold sector, with a state-owned trading entity targeting the purchase and sale of 15 metric tonnes of artisanal gold in 2026.
The initiative, led by DRC Gold Trading and supported by the country’s central bank, reflects a broader government strategy to channel artisanal gold production into official markets while strengthening national bullion reserves.
For Kinshasa, the programme represents a dual policy objective: improving oversight of a sector historically dominated by informal trade while converting domestic mineral production into sovereign financial assets.
Core Details
DRC Gold Trading, the state-backed entity responsible for aggregating and marketing artisanal gold, aims to scale annual volumes to 15 tonnes in 2026, a significant increase from the 10 tonnes purchased over its first three years of operation.
The company was originally established in December 2022 as a joint venture with the United Arab Emirates, before the Congolese government assumed full control in 2024 as part of its effort to formalise gold exports.
In February 2026, the firm signed an agreement granting the Congolese central bank priority access to the gold it collects, allowing the bullion to be used to strengthen national reserves.
According to DRC Gold Trading’s leadership, pricing for the metal will be aligned with international gold benchmarks and national regulations, while final delivery volumes will depend on orders from the central bank.
The company is expanding operations across eight provinces in order to increase collection capacity from artisanal miners and improve traceability across the supply chain.
Although more than 45 international buyers have expressed interest in purchasing gold from the programme, priority remains on supplying the central bank to support reserve accumulation.
Contextual Analysis
The initiative reflects a broader structural challenge facing many mineral-rich African economies: the gap between resource production and the capture of national economic value.
Artisanal and small-scale mining accounts for a substantial share of gold output in the DRC, yet a large proportion of that production historically leaves the country through informal or smuggling networks, depriving the state of revenue and weakening regulatory oversight.
By establishing a state-backed trading mechanism with central bank participation, the Congolese government is attempting to address three structural issues simultaneously.
Formalisation of artisanal mining
Aggregating gold through an official trading entity allows the government to channel informal production into regulated export channels while improving traceability.
Reserve diversification
Granting the central bank priority purchase rights enables domestically mined gold to be converted into a sovereign reserve asset, strengthening macroeconomic buffers.
Supply chain transparency
Centralised trading mechanisms can improve compliance with international due-diligence frameworks increasingly demanded by global bullion markets.
The strategy aligns with a wider trend across Africa, where governments are seeking greater control over mineral supply chains and a larger share of the economic value derived from them.
Forward Lens
The effectiveness of the programme will depend on several factors.
- First is the ability to scale legal sourcing channels from artisanal miners across multiple provinces while maintaining credible traceability systems.
- Second is competition from informal trading networks, which historically offer faster payments and fewer compliance requirements.
- Third is the evolution of global gold prices, which have surged in recent years and contributed to a rise in artisanal mining activity across parts of Africa.
For policymakers and investors, the initiative signals an emerging policy direction: integrating mineral governance, central bank reserve management, and artisanal sector reform into a single institutional framework.
If successfully implemented, the model could provide a template for resource-rich economies seeking to convert informal mineral production into both fiscal revenue and sovereign financial assets.
For stakeholders across Africa’s mining and finance ecosystems, the DRC’s gold trading programme illustrates a growing convergence between resource governance and financial strategy.
As African economies look to strengthen domestic value capture from mineral production, mechanisms that link artisanal mining formalisation with central bank reserve accumulation are likely to attract increasing policy attention across the continent.