African Farming and Food Processing’s Post

📄 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 by Kristof Titeca "𝗨𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗗𝗥𝗖: 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝟮𝟯?" EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations 1️⃣ Uganda has various economic, political and security interests in Eastern DRC. The latter is a vital export market for Ugandan products, and an important source of gold 2️⃣ Gold is a central part of this trade: it’s a public secret – and much documented - that much Congolese gold is traded informally to Uganda, where the Congolese gold becomes Ugandan 3️⃣ Uganda walks a tightrope between making sure its relations with Kinshasa are maintained, but also having close ties with M23 #M23 #Uganda 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 👉 bit.ly/3KEGrKz

I've written on the various interests of Uganda in Eastern DRC for EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations, and what this means for their relation with M23:

On January 27, the March 23 (#M23) rebel movement in the eastern #DRC 🇨🇩 entered #Goma, the capital of #NorthKivu province, and took control of major parts of the city. The M23’s movement into Goma is a drastic escalation in what has been cycles of violence, rebellion, and international engagement in the region. The region is a focal point for the competition over critical minerals in Africa. Goma is a major trading hub for the extraction and distribution of North Kivu's mineral resources and sits on the border of the DRC and Rwanda. To better decipher recent events and how the current conflict relates to past cycles of violence, the Africa Program spoke with Father Rigobert Bihuzo Minani of CEPAS "Centre d'Etudes Pour l'Action Sociale" in Kinshasa, DRC. Watch his assessment of the current phase of conflict and how involved parties should respond in the video below. 📹 👇 Additionally, be sure to check out additional resources from the Africa Program on conflict and cycles of violence in the DRC: https://buff.ly/4hgQqnJ.

Burkina Faso, West Africa

📢 NEW: The 2023 Amani Africa annual activity report presents highlights of the breadth and depth of our performance during the year. Please read the report to learn more about our work and how it matters. https://lnkd.in/e_fuX_-q

Five things on our mind this week in Africa: #Mauritius Will an agreement over the Chagos archipelago be concluded in the near term? #Togo Is the country set to join the Alliance of Sahel States? #Egypt Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? #Mozambique What can we expect from the Daniel Chapo administration? #Tanzania Is president Hassan guaranteed to be re-elected in October? More in our weekly newsletter - https://lnkd.in/daURZe9j

🔥 The Democratic Republic of the Congo[b] (DRC), also known as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, is a country in Central Africa. ---- By land area, the country is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 111 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous nominally Francophone country in the world. --- The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the economic center. The country is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania (across Lake Tanganyika), Zambia, Angola, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean. https://lnkd.in/dSMtMDE6 #RDC #nevergiveup

Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It lies adjacent to the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing a border with Ivory Coastin the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Togo in the east. Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse biomes that range from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Kumasi, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. (Read more on Wikipedia) #Ghana #WestAfrica

ALP East Africa Under the leadership of Gimara Francis launched the second edition of the annual Capital, services and goods scan 2023/2024 The Annual EAC Common Market Capital Services and Goods (CSG) Scan 2023-2024, in its second iteration, tracks the regulatory measures adapted by the EAC Partner States that impact on the free movement of capital, goods and services during the 15 months period. The 2023-2024 scan tracked the legal and regulatory measures in seven (7) Partner States-that is, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (and, to an extent, South Sudan) The add-on countries in the second CSG scan are Burundi and DRC, with plans to include Somalia in subsequent years.

The Minamata Convention matters and it’s a good thing that countries are still signing up, but a decade after ratification, 85% of informal artisanal miners use #mercury and 37% of 🌍 mercury emissions are generated by artisanal #gold #mining. Recognizing that mercury is a neurotoxin that gets into soil, water, vegetation, animals and people, this is a huge problem. Transitioning miners from mercury toward more benign alternatives doesn’t happen in isolation - it requires a focus on capacity that is part of broader #asgm professionalization. Commercially reasonable approaches for #mininginvestment and #impactinvestment enhance the dignity and productivity of work as professionalization takes hold. Transitions from mercury are part of this process, with broader capacity and #governance enhancements opening up safer options for miners. An investment marketplace supporting #asm formalization will mature given the clear opportunities that are on the table. 🏹 What is the role of the World Gold Council and the LBMA around fostering the development of an investment marketplace for this sector? 🏹 What is the role of refineries and end customers - lack of provenance is not a reason for lack of action, if anything, it is an opportunity for improving provenance through better #traceability 🏹 What is the role of standard setters, including those who set the tone on #responsiblemining practices for large scale projects where land is often co-habited with artisanal miners? The Blended Capital Group and our partners are committed to reimagining outcomes in artisanal mining. Commercial fits of formalization are clear given the financial, social, environmental and economic value that is created. Safety improvements, in this case mercury, are one part of broader improvements in the dignity of work - it is time to turn the vision of Minamata into reality. Reach out to discuss. Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) Levin Sources BanQu Inc. Napier Meridian Innovest Advisory Investing for Good CIC #esg #sdgs #miningsafety