Senegal Launches Digital Crackdown on Illegal Gold Mining: Minister
Senegal Launches Digital Crackdown on Illegal Gold Mining: Minister
The new system uses a digital platform to track each miner and trace gold from extraction to export, addressing losses of more than $614 million annually in state revenue, according to Mines Minister Cheikh Oumar Seck.
Key measures:
🟠A biometric identification system for all miners, with the Kédougou gold region as the main focus.
🟠Miners’ cooperatives must declare monthly production volumes to obtain valid transport permits.
🟠Interconnected databases allow security forces and tax authorities to share production reports.
🟠The digital tracking system aims to dismantle illegal export networks and reintegrate tonnes of ore into the official economy.
The system will help cut off opaque financing networks, while recovered revenues will fund health centers and schools in isolated mining areas, according to the minister.
The government has partnered with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations to provide credit for compliant miners, creating a transparent framework to attract investors and close regulatory loopholes.
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