Zimbabwe is desperate to attract investors into its mining sector, which it says will drive the recovery of its stricken economy.

Amplats holds a 49% stake in the platinum mine which has been on care and maintenance since 2017.

Burkina Faso produces 34 tonnes of artisanal gold per year, but only 300kg was formally exported in 2019 due to a lack of traceability and lower export taxes in neighbouring countries.

The 2011 rough diamond sales deal in which the venture, Debswana, sells all of its output to De Beers was set to expire in 2020.

The disappearance of the so-called tax advances was flagged by Inspector General of Finance Jules Alingete in a letter to a consortium known as Congo Hold-up.

The government is increasing efforts to diversify Botswana's economy, investing in science, tech and entrepreneurship to lessen a dependency on diamond mining.

The company said its 2021 gold production would be at the lower end of a 884,000-948,000 ounces range.