Kevin Puil: Exotic Congo Holds Hidden Values

The Gold Report: You just returned from a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a country with a troubled past and, some might argue, a troubled future. Few areas are more geologically gifted than the DRC with its vast copper and gold belts. Is it worth the risk? Kevin Puil: The DRC is one of the last major undeveloped gold belts in Africa. Although it has had a troubled past, the Congo implemented new mining codes with the support of the World Bank in 2003 that have mitigated risk quite substantially. In 2006, the country held its first democratic elections in over four decades. The new parliament and government seem to be running the country very well. TGR: Are the companies that are operating in the DRC doing anything else to mitigate the risk? KP: Aside from the general security of any gold operation—being fenced and having security guards, etc.—they are working with the government more closely than they would in a more developed nation. They are also providing a...