African gold: traceability gaps reveal the scale of flows outside official channels

African gold flows remain difficult to follow from extraction sites to refining or sales locations. An Africanews investigation compares three situations: major discrepancies between Cameroonian volumes officially exported and those recorded in the United Arab Emirates, the growth of illegal artisanal mining in Côte d’Ivoire, and the opening of Burkina Faso’s first refinery. These cases show that the issue extends beyond production alone: it also concerns traceability, taxation and the ability to capture value added locally.

At continental level, available estimates do not provide a single figure. For 2022, a SWISSAID study estimates that approximately 405 tonnes of African gold imported by the UAE may not have been declared as exports in countries of origin. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s Africa Index 2025 cites more than 435 tonnes for the same year, or 66.5% of African gold imports recorded by the UAE. Differences in scope and methodology mean these totals should be treated as estimates, not a judicial count of illicit shipments.

Cameroon faces a gap of several dozen tonnes

Cameroon’s case illustrates the difficulty of reconciling trade data. According to figures released by the national mining company Sonamines, the UAE recorded 44 tonnes of gold attributed to Cameroon between 2021 and 2025, while the country’s officially declared exports totaled 148 kilograms. The estimated value of these volumes recorded as imports is close to $3.4 billion.

This contrast raises questions about purchasing channels, customs declarations and the state’s ability to oversee an industry in which a significant share of extraction is artisanal. However, it does not by itself establish that every tonne recorded by Emirati authorities was mined in Cameroon or involved a proven offense. Mirror trade statistics can signal major anomalies, but interpreting them requires tracing origin, transit stages and the documents accompanying goods.

The potential consequence is nevertheless significant: when volumes bypass formal channels, the state risks losing revenue, while compliant operators and traders face less regulated competition. The priority is therefore to make purchases, transport and exports verifiable while improving conditions for artisanal operators to enter the legal sector.

Côte d’Ivoire: production growth and the formalization challenge

Côte d’Ivoire has seen official gold production grow sharply. Public ministry data reports 12.35 tonnes in 2011, 51.314 tonnes in 2023 and 59.124 tonnes in 2024. This growth relies on expanding industrial mines, but coexists with artisanal operations and clandestine sites whose oversight remains an economic and environmental challenge.

The government has initiated several responses focused on formalization and processing. The creation of the Société ivoirienne des métaux précieux (SIMEP), approved in 2025, notably provides for a refining unit, a national gold buying office and jewelry activities. The authorities’ stated goal is to regulate the industry more effectively and retain more processing stages domestically. These tools’ effectiveness will nevertheless depend on their ability to attract artisanal production volumes and guarantee transparent purchases.

Formalization is not limited to inspections or sanctions. It requires accessible markets, known prices, understandable procedures and guarantees of metal origin. Without these incentives, operators may continue selling outside regulated channels. Conversely, a structured purchasing chain can improve revenue collection and give authorities a more reliable picture of quantities actually produced.

Burkina Faso’s refinery: capacity that needs feedstock

In Burkina Faso, the inauguration of RAFFINOR-BF in Ouagadougou on September 28, 2026 marks a step in local processing policy. The Ministry of Mines reports theoretical capacity of 164 tonnes of gold annually for the first phase, potentially rising to 515 tonnes after expansion. The facility notably includes a smelter, an assay laboratory, storage areas and a jewelry unit. The first bars were presented at commissioning.

Announced capacity describes the plant’s technical potential, not its actual processing volume or guaranteed feedstock. The project must secure compliant flows, ensure operational quality and find outlets for refined products. President Ibrahim Traoré advocated processing minerals domestically rather than exporting only raw materials. The refinery realizes part of that ambition, but its performance will depend on utilization and traceability of the gold processed.

Traceability as a condition for local value

These initiatives can strengthen national control of the industry, but cannot by themselves eliminate parallel flows. Consistent tracking systems must connect production sites, buying offices, transporters, customs and refineries. Cooperation between producing countries and destination markets is also necessary, as gold can cross borders or be mixed before sale.

For governments, the challenge is to align mining sovereignty goals with practical oversight and market access mechanisms. For companies, traceability quality becomes a compliance and reputational factor. For producing communities, integration into formal supply chains can provide better-documented income, provided rules include equitable value sharing and improved site protection.

The contrast between trade discrepancies observed in Cameroon, formalization sought in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso’s new capacity summarizes a common transition: moving from extraction to a controlled value chain. The test will be turning institutional announcements and industrial capacity into volumes actually traced, verifiable public revenue and lasting benefits for local economies.