According to the World Gold Council (WGC), the volume of gold produced globally has steadily increased in the last four years, rising by 12%. The US Geological Survey put the volume of global gold production at 3,000 metric tons (MT) last year (2023) with a contribution of about US$38.0bn directly and indirectly to host nations.

Africa is not left out of the global gold production venture as West Africa is said to be one of the world's fastest-growing regions in terms of gold production and is currently the source of around half the gold produced in Africa.

Data from the WGC council highlights the African countries that have produced the most gold from 2010 till date:

SNCountryTonnes

1 Ghana 135.1

2 Mali 105

3 South Africa 104.3

4 Burkina Faso 98.6

5 Sudan 72.5

6 Guinea 64.9

7 Tanzania 52

8 Côte d'Ivoire 51.5

9 Zimbabwe 46.6

10 Dem. Rep. of the Congo 45.4

After oil, gold is Africa’s second-largest export and the role the continent plays in global gold production is very significant as evident in the input the region made between 2010 and 2018 when gold production increased by 22%.