Cote d'Ivoire gov't to restructure small-scale gold washing sector

Cote d'Ivoire's Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan says the West African country will restructure its small-scale gold washing sector.
The government will put in place regulatory measures to bring order in the small-scale gold mining sector, the premier said Wednesday.
"The gold washers will be identified and registered across the national territory with a view of making the sector formal," Duncan said.
The director of the Mines Ministry, Guillaume Ndri, said the country has more than 1,000 small-scale gold mining sites.
"Over 500,000 people live on this activity in the rural areas," Ndri said, noting that "substantial resources are generated through small-scale gold washing."
The government has repeatedly condemned illegal small-scale gold mining that is carried out using toxic and pollutant substances.
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