The first 100 kilograms of gold extracted from this former Katanga province in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo were exported internationally via DRC Gold Trading SA, a state portfolio company. A desire of the new governor of Tanganyika, Christian Kitungwa Muteba, determined that the minerals will finally benefit his population.
The announcement was made on Wednesday December 11 in Kalemie, the capital of Tanganyika located on the shores of the lake of the same name. For the occasion, a ceremony was organized by DRC Gold Trading SA, a state portfolio company, which took over from the very controversial Dubai company Primera Gold DRC, which had been granted a monopoly on export of DR Congolese gold with ridiculously low customs duties (around 2.5%).
Among the participants, the new governor of Tanganyika, Christian Kitungwa Muteba, who, since his election last April, has brought a new wind to the province. After taking over the security strategy to restore order, this 37-year-old criminology graduate, with a tall stature, undertook to revitalize the province’s economy.
Starting with the mining sector, an area he knows well having been chief of staff to the Minister of Mines of Haut-Katanga. In this area, the potential is very significant. Tanganyika is considered the “lithium capital of the world” thanks to the Manono deposit, one of the largest in the world. It also has significant reserves of coltan, another critical mineral for the energy transition and the electrification of the economy.
The province also has gold mines. “Until now, (these) were exploited in an artisanal manner by diggers and the minerals were exfiltrated illegally via Tanzania and Burundi”explains a member of the cabinet of the provincial Minister of Mines. Consequence, “the province and the state did not collect any taxes. And this situation generated insecurity with a multitude of armed groups which financed themselves through this activity.”
Transparency and traceability
Since his arrival, Governor Christian Kitungwa has undertaken to restore order in the sector. “From now on, diggers are officially allocated certain mining squares and can therefore legally carry out their activities,” explains another source. “It’s reassuring for mining groups who want to come and invest in the province,” adds the director of a large foreign group established for a long time in Kalemie who is delighted to “the improvement in the business climate perceptible in recent months after several complicated years”.
For Tanganyika, the issue is as economic as it is financial. Mining royalties are the best way to significantly increase the province’s resources, which are necessary to invest in infrastructure as well as to develop social services.
