Artisanal and small-scale miners continued to anchor Zimbabwe’s gold sector in 2026, contributing nearly 73 percent of all formal deliveries between January and October and positioning the country firmly on track to achieve its ambitious 50-tonne annual target.
Latest figures from Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) show that total gold deliveries reached 41,400.80 kilogrammes during the first 10 months of the year, representing a 10.25 percent increase over the same period in 2025. The cumulative output places Zimbabwe at 82.8 percent of its year-end target.
Small-scale miners delivered 30.05 tonnes during the period, accounting for 72.59 percent of total deliveries, while large-scale producers contributed 11.35 tonnes, representing 27.41 percent of the national total.
The sector’s dominance was even more evident in October, when total gold purchases rose to a 2026 monthly high of 5,519.20 kilogrammes. Small-scale miners supplied 4,273.95 kilogrammes during the month, a 25.77 percent increase from September, capturing 77.4 percent of total deliveries and offsetting a decline in output from large-scale producers.
October deliveries were up 17.04 percent from September and 32.83 percent higher than the corresponding month last year, underscoring the growing role of artisanal and small-scale mining in sustaining national production growth.
Gold deliveries have strengthened consistently throughout the year, rising from 9.31 tonnes in the first quarter to 12.09 tonnes in the second quarter before reaching 14.48 tonnes in the third quarter.
With 41.4 tonnes already delivered, Zimbabwe requires a further 8.60 tonnes over November and December to achieve its 50-tonne target. This translates to an average monthly intake of 4.30 tonnes, below the third-quarter monthly average of 4.83 tonnes, suggesting the target remains within reach if current delivery trends are maintained.
Industry representatives from the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) attributed the strong formal deliveries to favourable gold prices but warned that logistical challenges continue to threaten formal market participation.
The federation has called on FGR to extend its buying hours beyond 3:00 PM and increase the deployment of mobile buying agents to remote mining areas to improve accessibility and curb leakages to informal and parallel markets.
The latest figures reinforce the critical role of small-scale miners in Zimbabwe’s gold industry, with the sector increasingly emerging as the primary driver behind production growth and export earnings from the country’s most important mineral commodity. 
