The biggest former Yugoslav republic is following Hungary and Poland, where officials boosted gold reserves in 2018 to create a bulwark against crisis.
The more than 2 million directly employed in small-scale mining in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have become a source of financing and recruits for Islamist militants in the region.
Gold Fields on Friday raised South Deep’s output targets for this year and next as the company implements the mine’s fifth turnaround plan since its acquisition in 2006.