USAID and Equity Bank partner to unlock $5M in lending to artisanal and small-scale mining operators in eastern DRC

Kinshasa, DRC – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Equity BCDC have partnered to unlock financial services and products to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operators in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project. As one of the largest banks in the DRC, Equity BCDC…

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USAID and Equity Bank partner to unlock $5M in lending to artisanal and small-scale mining operators in eastern DRC

Kinshasa, DRC – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Equity BCDC have partnered to unlock financial services and products to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operators in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project.  As one of the largest banks in the DRC, Equity BCDC…

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USAID’S Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project Launches Refiners Community of Practice to Help Set Up Responsible Gold Supply Chain from Eastern DRC

A pre-competitive and collaborative group of refiners familiar with the challenges of sourcing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) gold from the DRC came together in late 2020 under the umbrella of USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project’s Refiners Community of Practice (CoP), following in-depth market analysis into the reasons why they tend to refrain from…

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USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project Launches Refiners Community of Practice to Help Set Up Responsible Gold Supply Chain from Eastern DRC

By Rachel Brass – Director, Market Linkages and Investment, USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project Gold refiners Heimerle + Meule, IGR, Italpreziosi, L’Orfebre, MKS PAMP, PX Precinox and Rand Refinery have joined a pre-competitive and collaborative group of refiners interested in learning and sharing the realities of sourcing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) gold from…

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Responsible Gold Innovation Facility Announces Five Inaugural Awards

Fund established by USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project, implemented by Global Communities in partnership with Levin Sources, to catalyze innovations advancing sustainable artisanal gold supply chain in Democratic Republic of the Congo To support activities and investments upstream in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) artisanal gold supply chain, USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean…

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A Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Eastern Congo

Artisanal gold miners in DRC

USAID’S Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project brokers a business deal to prevent communal violence and increase incomes for artisanal miners in Maniema province By Kevin Eze When Aimé* returned to his family’s mining concession after the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, he found throngs of strangers digging for gold. The area, situated in Kabotshome, in the…

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International Day Of The African Child: Combatting The Worst Forms Of Child Labor In Artisanal Gold Mining Communities In Eastern DRC

Global Communities envisions a world where everyone has the freedom, means and ability to live and prosper with dignity. As the lead implementing agency for the USAID Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we are working closely with artisanal gold supply chain actors, international and local civil society…

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USAID Zahabu Safi and Black in Jewelry Coalition Connect Black Women Working Across Jewelry Supply Chain

On April 14, 2021, the USAID Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project co-hosted a virtual event with the Black in Jewelry Coalition to facilitate conversations between Black women working across the jewelry supply chain: mine to market. Titled “Sister to Sister”, the event connected women working on the front lines in the mining industry in DRC,…

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Black in Jewelry Coalition and USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project Connect Women in the Jewelry Industry with Artisanal Gold Miners

New York, NY – March 31, 2021 – The Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) and USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project will hold a unique fireside chat webinar, “Sister to Sister: Creating relationships to support responsible sourcing of artisanal gold from Africa.” This virtual event, which will be held Wednesday, April 14, at 10am ET,…

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ASM Gold Can Change Lives for the Better

2020 left the jewelry sector shaken. The economic impacts of COVID-19 left many jewelers struggling to rebuild sales. As consumer demand for jewelry fell, the cost of gold peaked. At the same time, the moral and ethical issues raised by Black Lives Matter also trickled down to the sector. Several jewelers made the link between…

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Responsible Gold Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Many communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) rely on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) as a primary livelihood. ASM is a significant driver of DRC’s economy. Approximately 15 percent of the national population directly or indirectly depends on income from ASM [International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, Report on Development of Regional…

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