Sudan’s gold production reached 70 tonnes in 2025, exceeding official targets by 13 percent, authorities said, underlining the sector’s critical role in propping up the economy as the country remains engulfed in a devastating conflict.
The Ministry of Minerals said the output figure marked a further rebound from a sharp wartime collapse in production in 2023, when fighting severely disrupted mining operations across the country.
In a statement, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, an affiliate of the ministry, said the mining sector generated around 1.087 trillion Sudanese pounds (US$1.8 billion) in public revenues during the year, reinforcing gold’s status as one of Sudan’s most important sources of income.
Minerals Minister Nour Al-Daem Taha welcomed the results and urged stakeholders to scale up production further in 2026, directing that new national projects be incorporated into the mining sector’s development plan.
Gold is Sudan’s most valuable export and a key source of foreign currency for an economy battered by years of sanctions, mismanagement and, more recently, war. With oil revenues declining after South Sudan’s secession in 2011, gold has increasingly become the backbone of state finances.
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The sector had enjoyed strong growth before the conflict. Sudan’s gold production peaked between 2017 and 2022, when the country emerged as one of Africa’s leading producers. In 2022, gold was Sudan’s top non-oil export, accounting for 46.3 percent of total non-oil exports, according to central bank data.
That year, gold exports were valued at US$2.02 billion out of total exports of US$4.36 billion, highlighting the metal’s outsized importance to the national economy.
However, the outbreak of war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) dealt a severe blow to the sector. After five months of fighting, gold production slumped to just two tonnes, as mines were abandoned, supply chains disrupted and insecurity spread across mineral-rich regions.
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Production recovered to 64 tonnes in 2024, before rising further to 70 tonnes in 2025, according to official figures.
Analysts say the rebound reflects both the resilience of artisanal and small-scale miners who account for the bulk of Sudan’s gold output and the authorities’ efforts to keep exports flowing despite the conflict.
Much of Sudan’s gold is produced by informal miners operating in remote areas, often outside full state control. While this has allowed production to continue even amid instability, it has also fuelled concerns over smuggling, environmental damage and the loss of potential state revenues.
The government has repeatedly said it wants to formalise the sector, improve oversight and ensure that more of the proceeds enter official channels. Officials say boosting transparency and regulating artisanal mining are central to plans to stabilise the economy once the conflict subsides.
The renewed emphasis on gold also reflects the dire state of Sudan’s finances. The war has devastated infrastructure, paralysed much of the formal economy and deepened a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since fighting erupted in mid-April 2023, while millions have been displaced internally or forced to flee to neighbouring countries. Basic services have collapsed in large parts of the country, and inflation has eroded purchasing power.
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In this context, gold exports have provided a rare source of hard currency, helping to pay for imports of food, fuel and medicine. However, economists warn that reliance on gold alone cannot compensate for the broader economic damage caused by the conflict.
They also caution that continued fighting poses risks to future production, particularly if insecurity spreads further into mining regions or if export routes are disrupted.
For now, the authorities are seeking to capitalise on the sector’s recovery. Minister Taha said new national mining projects would be included in development plans for 2026, signalling the government’s intention to expand production despite the ongoing war.
Whether Sudan can sustain or increase gold output will depend not only on investment and regulation, analysts say, but ultimately on progress toward ending a conflict that continues to undermine nearly every aspect of the country’s economic life.
