Côte d’Ivoire wants to develop its yet untapped mineral resources. In the Feb. 15 council of ministers' meeting chaired by President Alassane Ouattara, the Ivoirian government granted two mining research licenses to the mining company, La Minière de l’Eléphant (LAMINELE), related to iron, copper and molybdenum ore.

The first lincese is about the deposit of iron ore in Tabou and San-Pedro and the second one is about copper and molybdenum ore deposits in Bangolo and Duékoué. Côte d’Ivoire has a reserve of 4 billion tons of iron and a reserve of over 50 million tons of copper. By granting these two licenses, the West African country wants to increase and diversify its mining production.

Côte d’Ivoire is well known for its gold mining and export activities, from which activities the country gets over 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2021, the country, led by Alassane Ouattara, produced over 40 million tons of gold.

The Mount Klahoyo's iron mine project is one of the most important mining projects in terms of revenue for the Ivorian state. With 650 million tons of iron, Klahoyo is also considered as a good prospect for the development of the southeastern region where the mine is located.