Sudan to double gold output to revive deteriorating economy

Sudan Tuesday announced it would produce 80 tons of gold in 2015, in an effort to revive its deteriorating economy, official SUNA news agency reported.

"Gold production during the first half of the current year reached 43 tons compared with 31 tons for the same period last year, a 12-ton increase," the agency quoted Ahmed Mohamed Saddiq al-Karouri, Sudan's Minerals Minister, as saying.

"We anticipate unprecedented gold production during 2015, estimated at around 80 tons," he noted.

The minister further said that during the first half of the current year his ministry achieved 85 percent of its target to regulate and organize traditional mining in cooperation with the states, localities and stakeholders.

Over one million Sudanese individuals work in the traditional mining sector which produces the greatest amount of gold, yet no specific figures are available regarding the sector's production rates.

Sudan is the third country in Africa in field of gold production behind South Africa and Ghana, however observers expect it to become Africa's top gold producer by 2018.

Earlier, the Sudanese Minerals Ministry said total gold revenues exceeded one billion U.S. dollars in 2014 which witnessed the production of 71 tons.

Due to the split with South Sudan in 2011, the Sudanese economy deteriorated, causing a loss of two thirds of its oil wealth. Endit