The export of powdered gold from the Central African Republic was formally prohibited and the minimum mercurial value of molten gold is now set at 25,000 CFA francs (about 37.8 dollars) according to an order issued by the Central African government.

On Monday, August 23, 2022, after mining activities in the Pr& Eacute; the Vakaga and Bamingui-Bangoran fectures, in the north-east of the country, have been suspended for about a month, the Directorate-General of Mines and Geology of the Central African Republic announced a new decision concerning the minimum mercurial value for gold exports raw. This ministerial order mentions that the price of gold in grain or powder was 15,000 CFA francs (about 22.7 dollars) and the initial price per gram of gold molten into ingot was 17,000 CFA francs (about 25.7 dollars).

For Thierry Feikeram, CEO of Mines, government policy aims to move from artisanal mining to industrial exploitation to allow the country to bail out its coffers, and this decision is part of it. According to him, the government wants to “recover processed gold that meets international standards” and stop exporting it in powder form, turning to gold refineries. According to Thierry Feikeram, the status quo had weakened the control institutions concerned and made way for smuggling and fraud networks, with the consequence that gold exports contributed little to national revenues.