The Senegalese subsidiary of the French group Eramet has officially returned 1,000 hectares of fully rehabilitated land to the State.

The handover ceremony took place at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center (CICAD), on the sidelines of the International Mining Exhibition (SIM), under the chairmanship of the Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, Birame Souleye Diop, and in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, including the Director of Water and Forests. This restitution follows on from an initial operation carried out in 2022, during which EGC had already returned 85 hectares. On this occasion, Minister Birame Souleye Diop commended the company's efforts and encouraged it to continue its work.

As the only mining company in Senegal to have undertaken a large-scale rehabilitation process, Eramet Grande Côte has placed the progressive restoration of sites at the heart of its operating model. The return of 1,000 hectares concerns areas mined between 2015 and 2018 and includes the Oasis du Désert site, developed on behalf of the State with an investment of 2 billion CFA francs. According to the company, this operation demonstrates compliance with Article 103 of the 2016 Mining Code relating to the rehabilitation and return of land.

Frédéric Zanklan, Managing Director of Eramet Grande Côte, emphasized the scale of the program: “We had already returned 85 hectares two or three years ago, so these 1,000 hectares are added to those 85 hectares, so in total we have 1,085 hectares that have been exploited, rehabilitated and returned to the State of Senegal. This reflects our commitment to working for sustainable development and environmental protection. It is one of our pillars, in fact, working for the planet.”

Eramet Grande Côte's approach is based on close collaboration with local communities and coastal residents. Each year, approximately 180 hectares are rehabilitated after dredging, following a topographical model designed to restore the natural contours of the coastline. The replanted species—filao trees, cashew trees, and eucalyptus—were chosen to sustainably stabilize the dunes, restore soil fertility, and generate local income through agriculture, agroforestry, beekeeping, and fuelwood production.

Present at the ceremony, Magatte Wade, mayor of Meckhé, expressed her gratitude: “Eramet Grande Côte is essential to the development of our communities.” The phased rehabilitation also helps improve the environmental resilience of Senegal’s northern coastline. In its 2023 audit report, the Directorate of Mines cited the Senegalese company as a “national benchmark for good environmental practices.” Beyond rehabilitation, EGC contributes to the national economy. In 2024, the company generated 121 billion CFA francs in economic benefits, representing 71% of its revenue, and created more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

When questioned about the reuse of the returned land for agriculture or livestock farming, the director general clarified: “This land now belongs to the State of Senegal; it can be reused for agriculture and livestock farming, but that will be the State's decision. We have a mining title that allows us to exploit the land under certain conditions, namely, restoring it to as close as possible to its original state. We have done more than that, increasing plant density from 85 to over 300 plants per hectare.”

The land restitution process is part of a participatory and inclusive approach involving the local communities. Local populations are involved from the initial selection of tree species and in the production of manure, which is used to enrich the rehabilitated soils. Frédéric Zanklan added: "The communities are involved from start to finish in this land rehabilitation and restitution process."

At the 2025 International Mining Exhibition, where President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called on mining companies to respect regulations and support women with mining projects, Eramet Grande Côte stated that it had anticipated these priorities. "Beyond rehabilitation, we also have a CSR component that contributes to developing the capacities of women, young people, and all surrounding communities. We finance Economic Interest Groups (EIGs) and invest in structuring projects to enable them to generate resources and contribute to our business," explained the Managing Director. Since the start of its operations, Eramet Grande Côte has rehabilitated more than 2,600 hectares.