Ivory Coast is stepping up efforts to expand and regulate its booming gold industry, with authorities aiming to make the country one of Africa’s leading producers by 2035.
The government has introduced a series of measures targeting illegal gold mining while seeking to formalise artisanal operations, expand exploration and attract further investment into the sector.
According to a report by French magazine Jeune Afrique, the strategy includes issuing new exploration licences, developing a gold refinery with an annual capacity of 100 tonnes and bringing informal mining activities into the regulated economy.
The West African country, already the world’s largest cocoa producer and an increasingly important oil producer, has steadily expanded its mining industry, which is dominated by gold.
Gold accounted for 15.4 percent of the total value of Ivory Coast’s exports in 2024, according to a February 2026 report by the country’s Treasury Directorate on foreign trade.
Mining, Petroleum and Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly announced on September 16 that Ivory Coast’s first gold refinery is expected to begin operations during the first half of 2027.
The announcement came during a meeting marking the launch of the Ivorian Precious Metals Company, known as Simep, a state body created to regulate and organise the gold supply and marketing chain.
The initiative is the latest sign of Abidjan’s push to exert greater oversight over the rapidly expanding industry and capture more value from gold produced domestically.
Ivory Coast’s economy has historically depended heavily on agriculture, but its location along the mineral-rich Birimian geological belt has helped fuel a surge in mining investment since the country emerged from its 2011 post-election crisis.
Gold production has increased more than fourfold in just a decade, rising from around 13 tonnes in 2012 to more than 48 tonnes in 2022.
Much of that expansion has been driven by large foreign mining companies. Australia’s Perseus Mining began operations in the country in 2004, while Canadian companies including Endeavour Mining, Barrick Gold and Fortuna Mining entered or expanded their presence in subsequent years.
Ivory Coast is now producing about 59 tonnes of gold, making it the third-largest producer in West Africa behind Ghana, with roughly 170 tonnes, and Burkina Faso, with around 94 tonnes.
Abidjan is targeting annual production of 100 tonnes by 2030 as it seeks to establish Ivory Coast among Africa’s leading gold producers by 2035.
The expansion is being accompanied by tougher measures against illegal mining, which authorities see as essential to improving oversight, increasing state revenues and ensuring that the rapid growth of the sector translates into greater economic benefits.
