Market Intelligence
Iron and Steel Rare Earth Metals Precious Metals Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire Mining and Critical Minerals Market Growth

Côte d’Ivoire offers growing mining opportunities for U.S. companies in gold, critical minerals and supporting infrastructure. 

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, is actively encouraging U.S. participation in the country’s mining sector, which includes substantial mineral reserves, newly identified deposits, and government-supported infrastructure projects. Recent exploration permits and discoveries offer concrete opportunities for foreign investment in exploration, mine development, processing, and transport infrastructure.

Mining currently accounts for 4% of GDP, up from 1.5% a decade ago, and the government has prioritized the sector as part of national economic development. In 2023, total investment in the mining sector exceeded $800 million, primarily from foreign companies. In 2024, the government issued multiple new exploration permits for nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements. Recent discoveries include lithium-bearing rock in the south and coltan deposits in the west.

Gold Mining: Côte d’Ivoire produced 62 tons of gold in 2024, with estimated reserves of 600 tons. The government aims to become Africa’s largest gold producer by 2030. Gold mining activity is concentrated in northern and western regions. Opportunities exist for companies to participate in exploration, development, and processing activities.

  • Critical Minerals and Strategic Metals: The government has identified significant deposits of nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, coltan, and rare earth elements:
  • Nickel: Reserves exceed 300 million tons, with 2.8 million tons produced in 2023.
  • Lithium: Exploration confirmed lithium-bearing rock in southern Côte d’Ivoire, with additional lithium-tantalum deposits in the northwest.
  • Cobalt and REEs: Multiple exploration permits issued in 2024 highlight potential for new extraction projects.
  • Manganese: Production reached 360,000 tons in 2024; reserves exceed 10 million tons.
  • Coltan: An economically viable coltan deposit was confirmed in Issia in 2024, with a joint venture established for development and plans for local processing to produce tantalum concentrate for export.


Western Mining Corridor: The government is developing a mining corridor along the western border with Liberia, which contains significant deposits of nickel, iron, copper, and manganese. The corridor represents a concentration of mineral resources where development is dependent on new infrastructure. Constraints to development include transport and energy infrastructure.

Planned projects include:

  • Rail connections from the mining corridor to San Pedro port.
  • A mineral terminal at San Pedro port to facilitate exports.
  • Dedicated power generation to supply mining operations.

Please contact office.abidjan@trade.gov for additional information.