David Sturmes
A specialist in value chain assessments, voluntary standards and inclusive development, David’s role at the Impact Facility centres on the development of credible and cost-efficient monitoring and evaluation systems to measure project impact in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of his degree in international development management, David gained practical experience working with smallholder cotton farmers in India, where he helped introduce smart technology to catalyse the adoption sustainable production practices. His award-winning in-depth analysis of the artisanal gold value chain in east Africa, published in 2018, formed the foundation for the development of a scalable aggregation mechanism grouping hubs comprising several ASM operations strategically to reach sufficient volume to make direct trade economically viable.
David now leads a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on the roll out of asset financing solutions providing much needed equipment through to artisanal and small-scale gold mines throughout sub-Saharan Africa. He continues operationalising export hubs for gold brokering deals with local middleman, negotiating contracts with refiners, and navigating international legislative and compliance requirements.
David leads efforts to update the Impact Facility’s tools and approaches in line with learnings and feedback from the field, to ensure that the Impact Facility and its partner mines are best equipped to achieve positive change. David is currently conducting field research on the topic of financial service provision and is scoping out opportunities to scale the Impact Facility’s reach through partnership with other organisations.
David holds a BSc in international development management with a special focus on sustainable value chain management and a minor in conflict studies from Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
“Cobalt is key to enabling a speedy transition to a green, post-carbon economy. The DRC’s unparalleled cobalt endowments should serve as a catalyst for local development. By investing in the professionalisation of artisanal mining and creating dignified employment opportunities throughout local mining communities, we can help turn this mineral wealth into lasting prosperity. To make this happen, we need to dare to be part of the solution.”
David Sturmes posts

Establishing fair trading practices at artisanal cobalt mine sites
One of the Fair Cobalt Alliance’s three strategic objectives is increasing the incomes of artisanal miners and their wider community. Key to that strategy is ensuring fair value retention at the point of mineral sales.
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2023 – The year of critical minerals
Critical minerals – critical to what? EU and US ambitions to reach net-zero or DR Congo’s long-term prosperity; they could mean the same – but do they? With the war raging in Eastern Europe, Europe’s reliance on Russian gas is more apparent than ever as average consumers and companies face skyrocketing gas prices. This has […]
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FCA Quarterly Update – Q3 2022
In August, the FCA clocked its second year in operation. With the support of our partners, we made considerable progress in the 3rd quarter in our efforts to support the transformation of the artisanal cobalt sector in the DRC. We are proud of our achievements and excited and ready for what’s ahead of us. We […]
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FCA Quarterly Update – Q2 2022
In the second quarter of 2022, the FCA has made considerable progress in its efforts to support the transformation of the artisanal cobalt sector in the DRC. After a thorough recruitment process, we are excited to welcome to our team Alex Deprez, the new Country Director for the FCA. Leveraging more than two decades of […]
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