The Government's vision is to make the Mining Sector an essential pillar of economic growth. This ambition is based on the importance of the mining potential of Côte d'Ivoire.
Indeed, more than two-thirds (2/3) of Ivorian territory is covered by geological formations. Côte d'Ivoire has about 35% of the greenstone belts in West Africa, which are known to be rich in various mineralizations (gold, iron, manganese, diamond, bauxite, etc.).
The mining potential is diverse, with estimated reserves of gold, diamond, manganese, nickel, bauxite, iron, columbite-tantalite, phosphate, lithium, copper, cobalt, chrome, etc. To enhance this potential, a more attractive and competitive Mining Code was adopted in March 2014 (Law No. 2014-138 of March 24, 2014, on the Mining Code). This has accelerated mining research and exploitation.
The Government's objective is to increase the contribution of mining (excluding oil and gas) to GDP from about 3% in 2018 to 6% by 2025.
From 2016 to 2023, the following priority actions have been implemented:
- the establishment of a modern and transparent Mining Cadastre System (SCM) in 2017, which improved the entire process of granting and monitoring mining authorizations and titles for more efficient and effective management of application files;
- the improvement of governance in the sector through the national program for the rationalization of artisanal gold mining, which from 2014 to 2023 enabled: (i) the establishment of 100 local technical committees responsible for monitoring the implementation of the project at the local level; (ii) the identification of 1,083 illegal gold mining sites between 2014 and 2017; (iii) the crackdown on 1,255 illegal sites and the prosecution of 598 individuals in court in 2023; (iv) the granting of artisanal and semi-industrial gold mining permits, with 228 currently valid as of December 31, 2023.
- the commissioning of the Brigade for the Suppression of Violations of the Mining Code (BRICM) starting December 26, 2018, which has intensified the fight against violations through the arrest and prosecution of offenders;
- the updating of geological maps through two projects: (i) the project for building geological infrastructure and establishing a geo-scientific information system, and (ii) the project for constructing the national laboratory for geological analysis and studies.
- The positive dynamics of the sector is also reflected in the increase in tax revenues and the number of jobs created. Indeed, tax revenues generated by mining activities increased from 33.96 billion CFA francs in 2016 to 328.855 billion CFA francs in 2023. Similarly, the number of direct jobs created by the mining sector more than doubled, rising from 8,291 in 2016 to 16,766 in 2023.