Ivory Coast targets 2027 gold refinery start as it seeks top producer spot - Business News Nigeria

AI desk brief

Ivory Coast plans to start operations at its new Simep gold refinery in 1H 2027, with capacity to process up to 100t/yr, roughly matching the country’s expected industrial mine output as it targets 100t of annual gold production by 2030. The government says the plant will market gold with help from StoneX, while current output is about 60t/yr and Ivory Coast ranked eighth among African producers in 2025, per WGC data.

The refinery is part of a broader push to keep more value-added processing at home and expand the mining base through mine expansions and new projects, including Perseus’ Yaouré expansion and Montage Gold’s Koné project due by end-2026. Longer term, Abidjan is aiming to become Africa’s largest gold producer by 2035.