Levin Sources has been working on the complex relationship between minerals and conflict since our first project, and our team has been doing so for even longer. Across countries, minerals and supply chain tiers, we've seen how mining activities can drive and exacerbate conflict, but also have the potential to contribute to peacebuilding and sustainable development. Governments and multilateral organisations need to understand these dynamics to make better policy decisions and ensure the safety and prosperity of communities; businesses sourcing minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas to implement effective risk management and conduct business responsibly.
We've seen an evolution in how international systems and standards deal with conflict and mining since the establishment of the Kimberley Process for conflict diamonds in the early 2000s and the Dodd-Frank legislation to tackle conflict minerals in the early 2010s. We’ve moved away from the single definition of the classic, clear-cut financing of conflict through the sale of minerals. We now see a desire, and in some places a requirement, to have a more nuanced understanding of local community relationships and how these can be impacted by the shifting power dynamics which come along with mining, at large and small scale. But the collective understanding has some way further to evolve.
Our cross-team expertise in conflict and minerals combines technical knowledge of minerals value chains with a nuanced understanding of conflict dynamics and peacebuilding initiatives from practitioner, policy and academic perspectives. Our track record on the issue includes supporting individual companies with regulatory compliance, advising institutional investors on conflict-sensitive approaches, conducting comprehensive regional analyses and providing technical advisory services to mining companies to help ensure that they don’t exacerbate conflict dynamics and rather can contribute to conflict prevention or peacebuilding.
We work with businesses, investors, and development actors to identify opportunities for positive impact and sustainable solutions that address the root causes of conflict while building more resilient and responsible mineral value chains.
Examples of Levin Sources' work on conflict minerals include:
Research on the intersection of gold supply chains with conflict dynamics in the Sahel and Nigeria for a donor government (2025)
Levin Sources led two separate pieces of in-country research and oversaw the analysis and development of policy recommendations to assess barriers and opportunities to enhance the development benefits of gold supply chains in Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, in partnership with First Call Partners.
Our research focused on how current governance arrangements, gold supply chain practices, and access to resources and opportunities could be strengthened to support broader economic and social development as well as peace and stability, aligned with the mineral sector priorities of the Malian, Nigerien and Nigerian governments. We conducted the assessment through a combination of literature review and key stakeholder interviews in Bamako, Niamey, and North West Nigeria.
Supporting conflict minerals compliance for an electronics company (2022)
Levin Sources conducted third-party risk assessments of smelters and refiners that had not been assigned as "eligible" or conformant as part of the company's conflict minerals supply chain outreach campaigns, supporting their annual SEC filing requirements under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Levin Sources provided recommendations for the company to communicate with identified high-risk smelters and refiners, and to strengthen its internal minerals due diligence systems.
Conducting an in-depth study on illicit financial flows and links between conflict, criminality and artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Sahel
Levin Sources supported the IISD / IGF in the research “Illicit Financial Flows and Conflict in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger”, funded by the UK FCDO. Specifically, Levin Sources conducted desktop and field research to deliver an assessment of regional and national fiscal regimes and measures to combat IFFs, and an analysis of the links between conflict, criminality and ASGM. Levin Sources presented the results in a workshop with government officials from the Sahel on ASGM governance challenges, to develop a shared vision for ASGM supply chain development and to create a joint policy roadmap. | Read the report | Read the workshop summary
Assessing due diligence implementation across 3TG supply chains in conflict-affected regions, BGR (2021-2022)
Levin Sources conducted a comprehensive study on the implementation of due diligence in the supply chains of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) from conflict-affected and high-risk areas, with particular focus on Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Nigeria. Using data collected from stakeholders across 3TG supply chains in all three countries, the study assessed the scope and relevance of OECD Annex II risks, provided an overview of current due diligence implementation as required by the EU conflict minerals regulation, and analysed both positive and negative impacts of these measures on the ground, particularly for artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) stakeholders. The study identified good practices and approaches in implementing due diligence measures upstream. It provided recommendations for entry points to enhance these, particularly for political and governance actors.
