Chad’s mining sector occupies an ambiguous position in the country’s economic architecture. While geological surveys confirm commercially viable deposits of gold, limestone, uranium and other minerals, non-oil mining remains a marginal contributor to national output. According to Chad’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) disclosures, formal mining accounts for roughly 1–2 percent of GDP and just over 3 percent of recorded employment. The sector’s economic invisibility is not a function of scarcity, but of weak institutional capture.
It is within this structural imbalance that General Abdelkérim Charfadine “Bèguera,” Director-General of the National Mining and Geology Company of Chad (SONEMIC), has pursued governance reform as a development strategy.
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SONEMIC functions as both a commercial and regulatory institution. Its responsibilities include geological research coordination, mineral certification, state participation in mining ventures, and oversight of licensing compliance. In practice, however, these functions have historically been undermined by data gaps, limited laboratory capacity and a mining economy dominated by artisanal production.
Independent assessments indicate that more than 90 percent of Chad’s gold is exported informally, bypassing certification and taxation channels. The IMF estimates that artisanal and small-scale mining engages up to 300,000 people nationwide, yet only a fraction of that activity is formally recorded. This disconnect between production and reporting has long constrained Chad’s fiscal recovery from mineral resources.
Under Charfadine’s leadership, SONEMIC has prioritised laboratory modernisation and mineral assay capacity. These upgrades are fundamental. Without certified purity and traceable valuation, mineral exports remain vulnerable to under-invoicing and revenue loss. The reforms align with regional governance benchmarks promoted by the African Development Bank and the African Union’s Africa Mining Vision framework.
A second institutional priority has been the consolidation of geological data systems. Reliable mineral mapping reduces speculative licensing and improves investor confidence. According to the World Bank, countries with publicly accessible geological databases attract up to 40 percent higher early-stage exploration interest than those without.
SONEMIC’s expanded geological surveys therefore serve not only scientific purposes but also fiscal and investment governance objectives. For Chad, whose development plan targets increasing non-oil mining’s GDP share to at least 5 percent by 2030, such data infrastructure is a prerequisite rather than an accessory.
Historically, Chad exported gold in raw form, surrendering value addition to external markets. The World Gold Council estimates that refining and basic beneficiation can increase export value by between 10 and 15 percent, depending on purity control and downstream processing arrangements.
SONEMIC’s gold refinery project represents an attempt to reverse this pattern. While initial processing volumes will be limited, the refinery introduces domestic price verification, employment creation in technical processing roles, and improved negotiation leverage in export markets. In a country where industrial employment remains below 10 percent of total employment, even modest beneficiation carries structural significance.
Charfadine’s governance agenda unfolds within severe structural constraints. International Energy Agency data show that Chad’s national electricity access rate remains below 20 percent, with rural access in single digits. Transport corridors to mining zones remain underdeveloped, and security risks persist in peripheral regions. These conditions restrict the pace of industrial expansion regardless of institutional intent.
As a result, SONEMIC’s focus has remained on regulatory systems, data credibility and certification discipline rather than aggressive production targets. The logic is institutional: extraction without governance multiplies leakage.
Charfadine’s professional background in security and administration informs a leadership style oriented toward procedural clarity and institutional control. His tenure reflects a governance-first philosophy, where compliance systems precede market expansion. This approach mirrors international extractive governance models that prioritise traceability, certification and fiscal reporting as foundations for sustainable growth.
In February 2026, General Abdelkérim Charfadine “Bèguera” is scheduled to receive the Special Africa Leadership Impact Award and a U.S. Congressional Commendation from the State of South Carolina at the African Persons of the Year Awards organised by African Leadership Magazine in Accra, Ghana.
Now in its 15th edition, the POTY Awards are widely regarded as Africa’s most influential leadership recognition platform. With a readership exceeding 30 million across more than 35 countries, African Leadership Magazine has established itself as a central convenor of leadership narratives spanning governance, business and civil society.
The award committee cited Charfadine’s contribution to mining governance reform, regulatory transparency and institutional capacity building as the basis for the recognition.
Yet this recognition warrants analytical restraint.
Chad’s mining economy remains underdeveloped. Export diversification remains limited. Domestic processing capacity is still emerging. In this context, the award recognises institutional trajectory rather than sectoral transformation.
Resource economies rarely fail because of mineral scarcity. They fail because of governance weakness. Chad’s experience reflects this pattern. Minerals generate development value only when institutions can regulate, measure, certify and reinvest them.
Charfadine’s leadership reflects a deliberate attempt to strengthen that institutional architecture. His impact is best measured not in output tonnage, but in the credibility of systems being constructed around the sector.
