In exclusive interview during the Mining in Motion 2025 Summit in Ghana last week, David Tait, CEO, World Gold Council said the initiative seeks to deploy mercury-free gold processing plants that utilize advanced chemical processes, close to gold mining facilities.

He said the program aims to empower and formalize artisanal and small-scale gold miners (ASGM) by increasing their gold recovery rates while eliminating the environmental hazards associated with mercury use.

“If we can make these plants easily accessible to artisanal and small-scale miners, we can create an immutable, traceable supply chain,” explained Tait.

Mercury gold processing yields only 35% to 40% of recoverable gold, while the new processing technology increases yields to between 90% and 95%, according to Tait.

The World Gold Council is also working with stakeholders in the Ivory Coast to establish a formalized system for gold production. ASGM players in Africa account for 350 of the 650 tons produced globally, according to Tait.

“We want to create a uniform system whereby gold can be bought from ASGM players and trusted. I am talking to Zambia, Tanzania and many more others to establish frameworks that would enable central banks to confidently purchase locally mined gold,” stated Tait.

An increasing number of African countries are also adopting the London Principles - a standard designed to assure investors and buyers of responsible mining practices.

Tait reiterated that African countries are prioritizing the digitalization of the mining sector by adopting gold tokenization tools to enhance industry efficiency and transparency.