A major international conference is taking place in Kigali which many hope will put an end to uninformed allegations that Rwanda has no minerals of its own but depends on the Congo. The sixth Responsible Mineral Supply Chains summit will examine how far the traceability mechanisms on minerals from this region have been implemented. It was organised by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the UN Group of Experts (UN GoE) on the Congo. The inclusion of the UN GoE is very important because the group has been the source of countless accusations that Rwanda’s budding mineral sector was being fuelled by DR Congo’s resources. It is an opportunity for participants – who hail from an array of mineral stakeholders worldwide – to get a front seat view as Rwandan mining companies open their doors for all to see. The country has on numerous occasions said it had its own mines and was on the frontline of fighting the proliferation of the so-called conflict minerals; it has even publicly returned, to DRC, tonnes of impounded minerals on several occasions. Rwanda has also conformed to all international requirements for the mineral tagging and traceability scheme. Analytical Finger Printing from 300 mines is now available and will be used by the Independent Mineral Chain Auditor. But to go a step even further, Rwanda became the first country in the region to issue the ICGLR Mineral Export Certificate. If this is not transparency, then nothing is. So, hopefully, recycled allegations of “Congo plunder” will come to rest.
