For thousands of years, Gold has been traded across the vast sands of the Sahel and Sahara to the north of Africa. First on the backs of donkeys, then humped by camels via caravan, gold in the Sahel area combined with salt and other local agricultural and simple trade goods allowed for the rise and fall of many empires in West Africa, most notably those of ancient Mali and Ghana.
The Fulani of northern Burkina and Mali still trade salt mined in large blocks throughout West Africa. As the hundreds (possibly thousands) of sand covered automobile shells will easily attest, in the modern age the camel may still be the most reliable method of traveling across the Sahara. Though rail dominates commercial transportation there are few rail networks, and camels are much more viable option for local traders.
Today, throughout Burkina Faso, international companies continue to eye the store of gold beneath the orange Sahel dust to add to the rise of their own private empires. The region is still host to a number of Gold mines, and though doubtless crude independent enterprises ( as portrayed in the Burkinabe film “Dreams of Dust” ) still exist, most mines are part of the regulated commercial industry. Mining companies are currently vying for the rights to sample and test drill all through the west and partially into other regions of Burkina, and are keen to a handful of other minerals as well. Many of the exports from this production will go to China. The various other minerals are mostly used in the manufacturing and processing of raw materials like steel.
Gold remains a primary export, and a primary employer for the economy of Burkina Faso. Acoording to most estimates, it will likely continue to provide jobs for years to come. The following are a hand full of links and recent articles pertaining to the subject:
Concasseur, A French Mining Franchise (Wonderful images from Burkina production)
High River Gold: Exploration Projects
SEMAFO beats previous production
Hi Grade Zone Values for AVION
