Togo's government considered a draft decree on November 6 that would establish a national commission to combat illegal mining.
The proposed commission would coordinate government efforts to tackle clandestine gold mining and other unlicensed mining operations.
The government has cited the environmental, economic, public health and security risks associated with illegal mining. It has not disclosed the proposed commission's membership or the resources it would receive. Those arrangements are expected to be specified in the decree.
Tracking Mining Production and Revenue
Togo's mining sector includes large-scale operations, quarrying and artisanal mining. Artisanal gold mining takes place in the Plateaux, Kara and Centrale regions. Some production remains outside official reporting channels, partly because of cross-border smuggling, making it harder for authorities to track output and collect revenue.
According to figures from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) cited by Togo First, the country's mining sector generated CFAF 119.4 billion in reported revenue in 2023. Société Nouvelle des Phosphates du Togo (SNPT) accounted for nearly 89.5% of the total.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi