PeaceGold Targets September Export Launch to Combat Illicit Congolese Gold Smuggling Networks

PeaceGold founder Greg Valerio outlines plans to export Congolese gold by September 2026, targeting an illicit trade that drains half the nation's mineral wealth.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 22, 2026, 6:20 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Northern Miner

A Formal Path for Artisanal Mining in Ituri

The UK-based social enterprise PeaceGold is finalized for a commercial launch in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with first exports scheduled for September 2026. Founded in 2013 in partnership with the Conflict Resolution Center, the organization focuses on formalizing artisanal mining operations in the restive Ituri province. By integrating approximately 11 cooperatives representing 25,000 miners and support staff, the project seeks to create a regulated framework for a sector traditionally dominated by informal actors. This initiative specifically targets the reintegration of former combatants into the legal economy as a strategic method for reducing localized conflict.

Navigating Regional Conflict and Militia Offensives

The project’s development persists despite significant geopolitical instability that disrupted regional mining throughout the previous year. According to Greg Valerio, founder of PeaceGold, an offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 and other armed militias resulted in thousands of casualties and forced several cooperatives to suspend operations temporarily. While PeaceGold’s associated mines were not directly overrun by the fighting, the surrounding violence created substantial logistical hurdles. The enterprise positions itself as a stabilizing force, attempting to offer a viable economic alternative in a region where armed groups frequently exploit natural resources to fund insurgencies.

Addressing the Systems Problem of Illicit Trade

PeaceGold’s primary objective is to disrupt the pervasive illicit gold trade that sees more than half of the country’s gold smuggled across borders annually. Valerio asserts that the Democratic Republic of Congo suffers from a systemic failure rather than a resource scarcity, necessitating a robust regulatory overhaul. By establishing a transparent pipeline for artisanal gold, the enterprise hopes to redirect wealth away from smuggling syndicates and toward legal channels. The project aims to solve the inherent "systems problem" by proving that artisanal gold can be tracked, regulated, and exported through official commercial frameworks.