Revenue from Sudan’s gold exports reached USD 3.5 billion, according to an economic report issued by the Ministry of Minerals in coordination with the Central Bank of Sudan, but the windfall has done little to stabilise the collapsing economy or bring down prices for ordinary people.

The report recorded a significant increase in export proceeds repatriated through official channels over the past ten months, with expectations that the proportion of gold earnings paid into the formal banking system will rise to more than 80 per cent in the coming period.

Despite these substantial export revenues, which the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company and the Central Bank of Sudan regard as an achievement, they have yet to make a meaningful difference to the country’s deteriorating economic conditions. They have not stemmed the collapse of the Sudanese pound against the rising dollar, nor have they translated into lower prices for goods in markets or relief for poor households.

Economists and observers say there is a considerable gap between the reported gold export figures and economic stability, despite the large quantities of gold being smuggled out of the country. They argue, however, that the revenues could be sufficient to help address the economic crisis if they were directed appropriately.

The contradiction is particularly striking given the authorities’ justification for raising the customs exchange rate and repeatedly increasing taxes and local levies. These additional revenues have not been reflected in improved public services, whether in healthcare or education, because spending on the war that began on 15 April 2023 remains the priority.

Meanwhile, citizens continue to endure dire and oppressive humanitarian conditions as a result of these policies, with no glimmer of hope on the horizon for an end to the war.

Gold remains the most important export

Economic expert Dr Haitham Mohamed Fathi said the figures for gold exports over the ten-month period showed that the Sudanese government had moved quickly to exploit the gold sector in an effort to halt the deterioration of the Sudanese pound and the escalating prices of goods and services. It had also introduced tighter controls on gold storage and exports.

“In my assessment, these measures have not yet had an impact on the economic situation. However, increased gold production and the export figures, despite the smuggling, represent an opportunity that has been seized and a lifeline for the Sudanese economy,” he told Radio Dabanga.

“Since South Sudan’s secession, gold has consistently been the most important source of revenue in Sudan’s trade balance in terms of exports.”

Fathi said Sudan’s gold production reached 107 tonnes in 2017, before falling to about 42 tonnes in 2018. Production had dropped to just 6.5 tonnes in 2023, the year the war broke out, before rising to 64 tonnes in 2024. In 2025, gold export earnings reached USD 3.5 billion.

He noted that gold continued to top Sudan’s export list, accounting for between 45 and 50 per cent of the country’s total exports.

He said around 162 companies were involved in mineral exploration, including 40 foreign companies. Of these, 30 were operational, while the remaining ten had suspended their activities.

Sudan also had 220 companies operating in the small-scale or traditional mining sector, he said, of which around 70 were engaged in processing waste from traditional mining operations to extract gold using specialised equipment.

Smuggling and environmental damage

Fathi said the problems facing the mining sector had persisted since 2012, when gold emerged as a major source of state revenue. These included smuggling, environmental damage, and security disturbances in mining areas.

Other problems concerned gold production, exports, and trade, as well as the frequent changes in government decisions and the absence of a consistent policy towards the sector.

He stressed that very large quantities of gold continued to be smuggled out of the country, while numerous mining markets operated beyond state oversight, leaving no reliable information on the quantities being produced.

Nevertheless, he said the government had taken steps to bring gold under closer state supervision, from production through to export, and to tighten controls on smuggling. These included restricting the collection, purchase, and marketing of gold to government bodies, establishing what is known as a one-stop window for gold exports, and opening new markets for Sudanese exports, including gold.

Sudan had turned towards new markets in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Türkiye, he said.

Fathi called for unified policies and regulatory measures to be applied transparently and with good governance across all gold-producing areas. He also urged the authorities to make better use of registered major foreign companies and activate large national companies, whether state-owned or private, so they could be developed to exploit this important national resource. Radio Dabanga