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Working Paper 222 - Economies of Scale in Gold Mining

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This paper analyzes the presence of economies of scale in gold mining in Africa. It uses mine level data between 2005 and 2010 and the data is collected from countries that account for 83% of the continent’s gold production. Our analysis shows that the gold mining industry in Africa exhibits significant economies of scale. In other words, the unit cost of production falls significantly as mines get larger.

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  • Ousman Gajigo & Mouma Ben Dhaou, 2015. "Working Paper 222 - Economies of Scale in Gold Mining," Working Paper Series 2161, African Development Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:adb:adbwps:2161
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    6. Crowson, Phillip, 2012. "Some observations on copper yields and ore grades," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 59-72.
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