Togo Stops Issuing Mining Permits, Temporarily

Mining

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 12:16

Togo Stops Issuing Mining Permits, Temporarily

(Togo First) - Togo has paused the issuance of new mining permits for prospecting and exploration. The Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources has recently issued a decree in this regard.

This “strategic pause”, according to the Ministry, will give Togo time to overhaul its Mining Code. “This is a strategic pause, the time to provide our country with a legal framework that is better adapted, more rigorous, and geared towards sustainability, transparency, and inclusion,” the Ministry states.

The suspension fits reforms launched under Togo’s Fifth Republic. The country adopted a new Constitution on May 6, 2024. Authorities have already started reviewing the Mining Code.

The reform aims to lead to a stricter and more suitable framework for natural resource exploitation. The Ministry describes this as “a further step towards a more responsible and equitable mining sector.”

The decree halts permits for all mineral substances nationwide. The ban does not cover building materials and industrial minerals.

Introduced in 1996, the current Mining Code was amended in 2003. According to the authorities, it “appears obsolete in the face of contemporary environmental, social, and economic challenges.”

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

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