In an interview with Ecofin Agency, Djaria Traoré, Executive VP Operations & ESG at Endeavour Mining, reflects on the company’s strong first-half 2025 performance and explains why financial results and ESG impact are inseparable in today’s mining industry.

Ecofin Agency: Endeavour Mining recently published its Q2 financial results. Can you reflect on your performance for the first half of the year?

Djaria Traoré : Our second-quarter results reinforced the strong momentum of the first half of 2025, with production of 647,000 ounces (over 18 tonnes of gold) at a sector-leading all-in sustaining cost of US$1,281 per ounce. In six months, we generated more than US$515 million in free cash flow, further strengthening our balance sheet and fully benefiting from a supportive gold price.

This performance reflects the quality of our portfolio and the consistency of our operational discipline. Beyond the numbers, it demonstrates our ability to deliver sustained value creation while maintaining strong local integration and resilience across our business.

Ecofin Agency: You hold a dual strategic role: ESG (environment, social and governance) and operations. What does this integration mean in practice for a group like Endeavour Mining? Can financial performance and social impact still be seen as separate in the mining industry? What is the link between operational resilience and ESG performance?

Djaria Traoré : This dual role highlights a fundamental reality: operational performance and ESG are directly connected. A mine that fails to invest in its people, build capacity for suppliers and host communities, or address its environmental impact increases its risk exposure and weakens its social licence to operate.

By contrast, embedding ESG into operations strengthens resilience and long-term value creation – reducing disruptions, lowering costs, reinforcing licence to operate, and driving measurable efficiency gains. ESG is not an add-on; it is a core driver of sustainable cash flow and portfolio strength.

“A mine that fails to invest in its people, build capacity for suppliers and host communities, or address its environmental impact increases its risk exposure and weakens its social licence to operate.”

That is why Endeavour has brought these two areas together within one department, ensuring ESG principles are fully embedded into daily operations and aligned with our long-term strategy.

Ecofin Agency: Your 2024 Annual Report highlights significant economic contributions (US$2.2 billion) and a local employment rate of nearly 97%. How do you explain the differentiated distribution of these contributions between Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso? How do these figures reflect a truly inclusive value creation model, and how can you ensure this value benefits mining regions sustainably?

Djaria Traoré : It is important to look beyond headline numbers and understand the impact they represent. Our mission goes further than producing gold – it is about creating meaningful value for the countries and regions where we operate.

In 2024, Endeavour delivered a total economic contribution of US$2.2 billion across our host countries. This included US$731 million paid in taxes, royalties and dividends to Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, directly supporting national budgets and public services.

“In 2024, Endeavour delivered a total economic contribution of US$2.2 billion across our host countries. This included US$731 million paid in taxes, royalties and dividends to Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, directly supporting national budgets and public services.”

We are also one of the largest private employers in West Africa, distributing US$271 million in salaries and benefits. Each direct job sustains many more through local supply chains, amplifying our impact across regional economies. In addition, 83% of our procurement – equivalent to US$1.23 billion – was spent in-country. This underscores our commitment to maximising local procurement, strengthening national supply chains, and ensuring that the value generated by our operations remains within host economies.

At the same time, we recognise that value is not measured in financial terms alone. Investments in education, healthcare, environmental protection and economic empowerment through our ESG programmes and the Endeavour Foundation are equally central to sustaining long-term value creation.

Ecofin Agency: Last year you launched a Sustainability Award for your employees. What ambitions do you hope to achieve through this initiative, and what types of projects or people do you want to highlight?

Djaria Traoré : The Sustainability Award embodies a simple but powerful belief: ESG should be a mindset shared by all our employees. It recognises those who, every day in the field, translate our commitments into concrete actions: protecting safety, preserving the environment, strengthening community ties, driving social innovation, or reducing our carbon footprint.

Beyond recognition, this award helps create momentum and demonstrates that everyone can contribute to our collective ambition. It is both a source of inspiration and a marker of company culture. Because being a responsible mining company means “bringing ESG to life” by enabling everyone to play their part.

Ecofin Agency: At Sabodala-Massawa, Endeavour has reduced its emissions by 24% thanks to the commissioning of a solar power plant. Do you now have a clear energy transition strategy for the whole group? How do you reconcile gold production with carbon neutrality?

Djaria Traoré : We are pursuing a clear decarbonisation roadmap: to reduce our emissions by 30% by 2030. To achieve this, we are deploying multiple levers such as grid connections, renewable energy, energy efficiency or alternative fuels.

In 2024, we inaugurated a 37 MWp solar plant at Sabodala-Massawa (Senegal), one of the largest in the mining sector in West Africa. Similar initiatives are under way elsewhere: renewable energy certificates at our Houndé and Mana sites (Burkina Faso), cleaner fuels at Ity (Côte d’Ivoire), and energy-efficient technologies at Lafigué (Côte d’Ivoire).

Gold production remains energy-intensive, but we are convinced that embedding climate ambition into industrial performance makes this reconciliation possible.

Ecofin Agency: Many stakeholders are asking mining companies to “do more” on transparency, inclusion or the environment. What are your concrete priorities for 2025? And in an African context where expectations are high and competition is intensifying, what distinguishes Endeavour Mining’s ESG approach?

Djaria Traoré : We fully integrate the expectations of strong governance, inclusion and responsibility into our activities. The taxes, royalties and dividends we pay are a vital resource for our host countries, directly funding public services and critical infrastructure.

That is why we commit to full transparency on these contributions. We apply the highest international governance and reporting standards, from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to the World Gold Council’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles. We were also among the first African gold producers to adopt the GRI 207 tax transparency standard, which goes beyond disclosing payments to cover tax governance, incentives and the presence in low-tax jurisdictions. This proactive approach sets us apart: we aim to remain a benchmark for responsible mining in Africa and to consolidate our role as a trusted partner for governments, communities and investors.