The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is finalising a deal to take full control of a gold-export joint venture from its Emirati partner, after shipments slumped. Congo started Primera Gold DRC in January 2023 with Abu Dhabi-registered Primera Group in a bid to crack down on the gold smuggling that fuels conflicts in the country’s eastern provinces. The partnership sold 5 tons of hand-mined gold, worth about $300 million, in its first year of operation, but sales have since plunged despite more ambitious goals for 2024.