By Peter Omopo
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has raised alarm over the growing role of gold and critical mineral demand in fuelling crime, corruption, and instability across Africa.
In a new report released on Tuesday in Vienna, titled “Minerals Crime: Illegal Gold Mining, Part Two of the Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment,” the UN agency detailed how organised criminal networks, corporations, and individuals are increasingly involved in illegal gold mining and mineral trafficking.
The report highlighted that while most gold mining activities take place in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, the majority of gold refineries are based in Europe, Asia, and North America—underscoring the global nature of the trade and its associated criminal activities.
“In Africa, some organised crime groups operate exclusively in gold, while others channel profits from gold into armed activity, undermine state authority, or fuel violent conflict,” the UNODC report noted.
It further revealed that criminal groups have deeply embedded themselves in gold supply chains, lured by the sector’s high profitability and the soaring global value of gold. These profits are often reinvested into broader illicit operations, compounding the challenges faced by affected countries.
The report also pointed to severe human rights abuses linked to illegal mining, including cases of sexual exploitation, forced labour, and the displacement of local communities.
UNODC called for coordinated global action and stronger enforcement to combat mineral-related crimes and address the environmental, economic, and social damage they cause.
