Illegal gold mining: Who profits from the trafficking of African gold? [Business Africa]

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime estimates that 66.5% of African gold exports to the United Arab Emirates in 2022—about 405 tonnes—came from smuggling. In Cameroon, 44 tonnes of gold from the country were reportedly received in Dubai between 2021 and 2025, while officially declared exports totalled just 148 kilograms; trafficking is said to have cost the state nearly 2 trillion CFA francs. The programme also looks at Côte d’Ivoire’s measures against illegal gold mining, amid concerns over the gap between official production and illicit activity.