The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Arab Emirates have signed a JV agreement to fight against mining fraud in the artisanal exploitation of 3T minerals, Coltan and gold.
Liedekerke assisted in preparing and negotiating a JV agreement, as well as a shareholders agreement between the two parties who by signing commit to clean up the sectors of these two minerals by creating two joint ventures to fight against fraud in the artisanal gold, 3T and Coltan sector. In order to improve the tarnished image of these minerals, which are plagued by fraud, smuggling and illicit exploitation.
This partnership has led to the creation of a first JV company, i.e. Primera Gold DRC SA for the artisanal gold sector and will shortly lead to the creation of a second JV, Primera Metals DRC SA for the artisanal 3T and Coltan sector. The objective is to stop smuggling in these two sectors, by enabling a tracing process and improving the work conditions of artisanal miners.
This project aims to facilitate a chain of custody for artisanal minerals that is acceptable at all levels which will be put in place by these two joint ventures.
The Liedekerke team advising on this agreement was led by Thibaut Hollanders.
For specific questions on this topic or for more information our DRC Practice, please don't hesitate to reach out to Thibaut , or visit our dedicated page here.