Posted on 06.06.2023 at 2:24 p.m. by Linda Manga
The very first Gabonese gold refinery (ROG) was inaugurated on June 2 by the Head of State Ali Bongo Ondimba.
With a refining capacity of 7 to 10 tons of gold per year, the first gold processing plant in Gabon is operational. « It is the first of its kind in Central Africa. It symbolizes the metamorphosis of our economy towards more diversification, job creation and local added value through the on-site processing of our raw materials.»commented the President of the Republic, during his inauguration on June 2, 2023.
According to the New Gabon newspaper, the new factory is the result of a partnership between the Société équatoriale des mines (SEM) and the company with London and Emirati capital, Alpha Centauri Mining (ACM). The newspaper continues that: with the commissioning of this plant, Gabon could soon ban the export of raw gold. Because, during the Council of Ministers of April 14, the government issued a draft decree requiring operators to refine on the spot in Gabon the gold intended for export. Because, until now, the gold produced in Gabon was exported in its raw state, for lack of a refinery ».
It should be noted that Gabonese gold production is 2 tonnes per year, according to the Société équatoriale des mines (SEM). Much of this production comes from the processing of alluvial gold. In the coming years, Gabon hopes to produce more with a view to building up a strategic reserve of gold, for more credibility on foreign markets.
