The Sudan government has signed contracts with 50 national companies and foreign countries for gold exploration in a move to compensate the loss of oil revenues which Khartoum lost following the separation of South Sudan. The Sudanese Minister of Minerals said that the total production of traditional mining was 70 tons of gold last year. Now, Jordanian, Chinese and Turkish companies have entered the production circle. A gold refinery would be commissioned by early 2012 with a production capacity of 150 tons of gold and 30 tons of silver.
