Report: Billions of dollars worth of African gold is smuggled every year
A Swiss non-governmental organization has announced that African gold worth billions of dollars is smuggled out of the continent every year, most of it being sent to Dubai, Emirates before being legally transported to other countries.
A Swiss non-governmental organization has announced that African gold worth billions of dollars is smuggled out of the continent every year, most of it being sent to Dubai, Emirates before being legally transported to other countries.
The Swiss non-governmental development organization Swissaid published a report saying that between 321 and 474 tons of gold from Africa produced through manual mining in small mines is smuggled every year, with a value of between 24 billion and 35 billion dollars .
Africa is the largest producer of gold in the world, with Ghana, South Africa, Mali and Burkina Faso leading the production in 2022 .
According to the organization, African gold smuggling has increased and doubled between 2012 and 2022 .
The report says: The source of income for millions of small-scale miners, which is the main source of income for many governments, is a product of financing armed groups, and the cause of serious violations of human rights and environmental damage .
The report has named Dubai as the center of the African gold trade, which is exported to other countries including Switzerland .
The organization estimates that, in 2022, "66.5 percent equal to 405 tons of gold imported from Africa and imported into the United Arab Emirates was smuggled out of African countries ".
