Corporate Responsibility
A gold refinery only earns the right to operate if it makes the communities around it better off. We are building AGR Kenya with that obligation at the centre — not bolted on afterwards.
Our Position
East Africa's gold sector has a trust problem. Informal trading, mercury use, and opaque supply chains have cost the region billions in lost revenue and damaged its standing with international buyers. AGR Kenya was founded on the premise that a well-run, transparent refinery is the most powerful tool available to fix that.
Our corporate responsibility commitments are not a separate programme. They are the operating model. Every decision — from the furnace technology we chose to the due diligence we apply to every doré consignment — reflects the same logic: long-term credibility is worth more than short-term margin.
Below we describe four areas where we intend to make a measurable difference. We mark each commitment as Active or Planned so you can hold us to account.
The single greatest contribution a refinery can make in East Africa is to give artisanal and small-scale miners a credible, legal exit for their gold.
Every consignment of doré that enters our facility is subject to the full OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Material that cannot be traced is returned. We document the chain of custody from origin to cast bar. This is not aspirational — it is our minimum operating standard from day one.
Artisanal and small-scale miners in Migori, Kakamega, and Vihiga counties currently lack a reliable, fairly priced refining counterparty. Within 18 months of operational launch we intend to publish a formal ASM intake programme — offering transparent pricing, short settlement cycles, and technical support on responsible mining practices. The goal is to make the formal channel the obvious choice, not just the legal one.
We will not refine gold we cannot account for, and we cooperate fully with the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and any other competent authority conducting enquiries into the gold supply chain. We believe a cleaner market benefits every legitimate actor in it.
Refining is a skilled trade. We intend to develop that skill base in Kenya rather than import it indefinitely.
All operational, administrative, and technical roles at AGR Kenya are open first to Kenyan citizens. Expatriate expertise will be brought in only where no qualified local candidate exists, and each such role will carry a formal knowledge-transfer obligation. We target a Kenyan workforce of no less than 80% within three years of launch.
We are in early discussions with technical and vocational institutions to co-develop assaying and metallurgy training pathways. Graduates of these programmes will be given preferential consideration for roles at AGR Kenya and, we hope, at other refineries and mining operations across East Africa. Details will be published when agreements are in place.
Women constitute a significant and underrecognised part of East Africa's artisanal mining workforce — in sorting, processing, and trading — yet are systematically excluded from the formal value chain. We are designing our ASM intake programme with specific provisions to ensure women miners and traders can access our services on equal terms.
Our facility choices were made to minimise environmental footprint — not to meet the minimum standard, but to set a higher one for the region.
We use high-performance electric induction furnaces throughout the melting process. Compared to fossil-fuel alternatives, electric induction produces no direct combustion emissions, reduces energy consumption, and eliminates the risk of fuel spills on site. This was a deliberate capital decision, not a regulatory requirement.
Our aqua regia and Miller chlorination processes generate acidic and chlorinated waste streams that require controlled treatment before disposal. We operate closed-loop neutralisation systems with third-party testing of all effluent prior to release, in full compliance with NEMA regulations. Waste treatment records are available to regulators on request.
AGR Kenya does not use mercury at any stage of its refining process. We support the Minamata Convention's objectives and will not purchase doré from sources that use mercury amalgamation without a documented transition plan. In our ASM programme, support for mercury-free processing alternatives will be a core component.
We have set a 24-month target from operational launch to achieve ISO 14001 certification. The management system framework is being built into our operations from the outset so that certification reflects genuine practice, not a documentation exercise conducted after the fact.
We believe sunlight is the best disinfectant. That applies to our certifications, our supply chain, and our impact reporting.
We do not claim certifications we do not hold. Our current status — KRA registered, NEMA compliant, RJC application submitted — is stated plainly on our Sustainability page. LBMA Good Delivery, ISO certifications, and RJC membership will be announced only when issued. We consider premature claims to be a form of greenwashing and will not engage in them.
From our first full year of operations we will publish an annual corporate responsibility report covering: tonnes of doré processed by origin type, number of ASM producers served, Kenyan employment headcount and wage data, environmental compliance results, and progress against our certification targets. The report will be published on this website without a registration gate.
We intend to establish a community liaison panel that includes representatives from mining counties, civil society organisations working on responsible mining, and regulatory bodies. The panel will meet biannually to review our performance and raise concerns. Its findings will be summarised in our annual report.
Where We Stand
Applied to every doré consignment received. Non-compliant material is returned.
No mercury used at any stage. Support for mercury-free ASM practices built into our intake model.
Zero direct combustion emissions. Lower energy consumption than legacy furnace alternatives.
80% Kenyan workforce target within three years. All expatriate roles carry knowledge-transfer obligations.
Full cooperation with KRA, DCI, and other competent authorities on gold supply chain investigations.
Formal intake programme for artisanal miners in Migori, Kakamega, and Vihiga. Transparent pricing. Short settlement cycles.
Published without a registration gate. Covers supply chain, employment, environment, and certification progress.
24-month target from operational launch. Management system built in from day one.
Co-developed assaying and metallurgy pathways with Kenyan vocational institutions.
Hold Us to This
We welcome scrutiny from civil society, media, regulators, and the communities we operate in. Write to us directly.
AGR Kenya
We respond within one working day.
Submitting this form is not a binding instruction. KYC and due diligence will be arranged before any engagement.
