• Côte d’Ivoire grants four new gold exploration permits
• Licenses aim to attract investment amid rising exploration interest
• Country targets 100 tons annual gold output by 2030

Côte d'Ivoire's Council of Ministers adopted four decrees on Wednesday granting gold exploration permits. The authorizations could attract new spending to the country, which ranked Africa’s top destination for mineral exploration investment in 2025.

Pioneer Minerals SARL received a permit spanning the departments of Aboisso and Alépé, while Lley Global Mining SA (LGM-SA) was granted one in the Divo department. Golden Core Resources SARL secured two permits: one covering Soubré and Buyo, and another limited to Soubré. Each license is valid for four years.

The new awards are part of a sustained trend in gold exploration permitting that has been ongoing for several months. Nine companies, including Canadian mining giant Barrick Mining, obtained about a dozen permits in December 2025. In February 2026, three additional permits were issued, including to ZS Ressources SARL and Schiba Mining SA. The pace of permit issuance reflects Côte d'Ivoire's growing appeal to mining investors.

According to the World Exploration Trends 2026 report published in March by S&P Global Market Intelligence, the country attracted $186 million in exploration investment in 2025, up $84 million from 2024. This increase, the largest in Africa, pushed Côte d'Ivoire to the top spot among exploration destinations. Overall exploration spending across the continent rose 11% to $1.44 billion.

The surge in interest is partly due to a stable business environment and a more than 60% rise in gold prices in 2025. The government aims to capitalize on this momentum to reach annual gold production of 100 metric tons by 2030, up from about 60 tons in 2024.

The four permits granted on April 1 could draw new capital into exploration in these areas. Authorities estimate Côte d'Ivoire's gold potential at around 600 metric tons. However, discovering a viable deposit requires substantial investment and can take several years before producing an initial resource estimate.

Emiliano Tossou