Ivory Coast plans to restart diamond production in Séguéla, a former mining hub in the country's northwest, as the government seeks to revive a sector that has been in decline for decades.
Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, minister of mines, petroleum and energy, announced the plan during a visit to Séguéla on June 25. He said the government had approval to relaunch diamond production in the region, once one of Ivory Coast's main diamond-producing areas.
The government is working with Botswana, Africa's leading diamond producer by value, to support the revival. Botswana experts have already visited the region, and both countries are expected to formalise a mining cooperation agreement this year.
Diamond mining in Ivory Coast dates back to the late 1940s, after the discovery of deposits at Tortiya. Industrial production later expanded in Tortiya and Séguéla. In the mid-1960s, the country produced almost 200,000 carats a year, including about 172,000 carats from SAREMCI mines.
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Production has since fallen. Official rough diamond output dropped from 20,235 carats in 2016 to 4,015 carats in 2020, a decline of more than 80%. Analysts link the fall to the depletion of older deposits, the end of exploration campaigns and the shift of artisanal miners toward gold.
The revival plan comes as Ivory Coast is expanding its mining sector through industrial gold production and offshore oil discoveries. The government wants diamonds to support diversification, local economic activity and value-chain development, from exploration to jewellery manufacturing.
Key Takeaways
Ivory Coast's diamond revival plan is about more than restarting production. It is part of a wider effort to diversify the mining sector and move beyond gold. Diamonds once played an important role in the country's mining history, but the industry weakened as deposits aged, industrial mines closed and artisanal miners moved toward more profitable gold sites. Working with Botswana gives Ivory Coast access to a country with deep experience in diamond governance, value addition and sector management. That matters because restarting diamond production without clear rules could risk informal mining, weak traceability and limited local benefits. The government's stated goal of building an integrated value chain, from exploration to jewellery, shows an ambition to capture more value than raw extraction. The challenge will be proving that commercial deposits remain viable, attracting credible operators and ensuring that mining benefits local communities in Séguéla and the wider Woroba District. If managed well, diamonds could add another pillar to Ivory Coast's growing extractive economy.
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