Mining industry of Senegal

The mining industry of Senegal is mainly centred on the production of phosphates and industrial limestone. Senegal is one of the leading producers of phosphates in the world, accounting for about 6% of exports in 2006, and deposits are of a particularly high quality. In the coastal region of the country, titanium-bearing minerals have been found and the reserve is estimated at 10 million tons. The mineral sector's exports accounts for 20% of total exports of the country and constitutes 20% of the GDP.

Senegal's relatively poor natural resources may have contributed to a long period of political stability (2012). The mining in Senegal is relatively poor. Senegal has not had a rich mining industry or a disruptive government. Gold has been found in the east of the country and it is hoped that this can be exploited to benefit a continuing stable country.

Artisanal mining has been practiced traditionally in the country from ancient times, particularly in the southeastern region. During a gold rush period in the 1970s, the land was seriously degraded and people were impoverished.

The phosphate industry began to be exploited in the 1940s and 1950s, when two large phosphate mines at Taiba and Lam-Lam in the Thies Region began operations. Less authorised mining in the country is the illegal removal of sand. The sand is obtained close to the country's coast by builders.

Since the discovery of large deposits of gold in the eastern Senegal village of Diabougou in 2006, that village hosts the largest "informal" gold mining operation in the country. This mining has seen the village grow from hundreds to thousands. The miners are attracted by the relative ease of extracting gold. The villagers suffer health problems because they are drinking the same water that is used in the gold extraction process. The miners are buying and using the poisonous element mercury. The country's reserves as of 2015 are relatively underdeveloped, and in 2014 it was announced that the Senegalese government was looking to attract foreign investors and use mining as a way to facilitate national economic growth by some 7%.

Additional mining sectors have included platinum, iron, uranium, and base metals. Gold mining involves many illegal immigrants and is has been assessed as a "risky business". The small, formal Sabodala mine is operated by Canadian firm Teranga Gold in the south east of the country.

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