Ity is Côte d’Ivoire’s oldest and currently its biggest producing gold mine. Since Endeavour Mining acquired it in 2015, output has more than quadrupled. The mine is expected to remain in operation for at least another decade.

Endeavour Mining said in mid-November 2025 that its Ity mine in Côte d'Ivoire produced 245,000 ounces of gold in the first nine months of the year. This figure represented 26 percent of the company's total output for the period, cementing the asset's status as the cornerstone of its portfolio a decade after its acquisition.

The mine's pivotal role for Endeavour began in September 2015. It was then that the London-based miner struck a deal with businessman Naguib Sawiris and his family to acquire what was already the oldest operating gold mine in Côte d'Ivoire. The transaction, finalized two months later, set the company on a path to become the largest gold producer in West Africa.

From its launch in 1991 until Endeavour's acquisition at the end of 2015, Ity was a medium-scale operation. Approximately 600,000 ounces of gold were extracted there in its first two decades, a production level that was already among the highest in Côte d'Ivoire at the time. The mine expanded significantly under its current owner.

Transformation Through Major Investment

Endeavour invested heavily to transform the site. Although Ity produced 76,000 ounces in 2016, its first full year under Endeavour, the company began construction of a carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant in September 2017. The feasibility study for the plant estimated an initial cost of $412 million and an annual processing capacity of 4 million tons. It was designed to yield an average annual production of 235,000 ounces over its first five years.

Endeavour successfully commissioned the plant in April 2019, about 20 months later. Subsequent work increased the plant's annual processing capacity to 5 million tons. As a result, production at Ity has more than quadrupled since 2016, reaching a peak of 343,000 ounces in 2024. Over the last five years, the Ivorian mine has produced 1.46 million ounces, including 324,000 ounces in 2023, the year it became a major pillar of Endeavour's portfolio.

The company expects the mine to have an operational life exceeding 10 years, with average annual production of more than 250,000 ounces. For 2025, Ity is forecast to remain Endeavour's largest mine, with projected gold output of between 290,000 and 330,000 ounces. This compares with forecasts of 230,000 to 260,000 ounces from the Houndé mine in Burkina Faso and 250,000 to 280,000 ounces from the Sabodala-Massawa complex in Senegal.

Economic Contribution and Community Impact

The mine is also a significant source of revenue for the Ivorian government. Over the past decade, Côte d'Ivoire has collected dividends and royalties from Ity, in which the state and the Société pour le Développement Minier de Côte d'Ivoire (SODEMI) hold a combined 15 percent interest. While comprehensive figures are not available, Endeavour said the asset's fiscal contributions totaled $62 million in 2023 and $78 million in 2024.

The mining company also says it spent $3.5 million on community programs in 2024. The debate over the distribution of mining revenue between host states and operating companies is growing in West Africa, a context that could lead to greater scrutiny of Ity's economic contribution in the coming years.

Emiliano Tossou