The government of Ivory Coast has suspended the export of scrap metal, ferrous by-products, cast iron, aluminium waste and scrap, according to a statement issued Thursday after a ministerial cabinet meeting.
The suspension, which will run for 10 years, aims to ensure the supply of local processing units, in connection with the development of the national metallurgical industry, Amadou Coulibaly, the country’s government spokesman, said in the statement.
Ivory Coast has seen a booming metallurgical industry since 2018, thanks to the installation of several processing units for scrap metal, ferrous by-products, cast iron and waste and aluminum scrap, the government said
“The national annual capacity to absorb scrap, including cast iron and aluminum, is projected to stand at about 600,000 tons in the coming years,” the cabinet meeting said.
“From two processing units in 2018, our country has to date four industrial scrap metal processing units in operation and the fifth is under construction,” added the statement.
The country produced 240,000 tons of scrap in 2022, according to figures from the country’s Ministry of Mines.