Senegal's gold mining boom leads to surge in sex trafficking
Africa
06:05
From the show
For several years, the Kédougou region in the far east of Senegal has been experiencing a gold rush. This race for the precious metal has led to a proliferation of artisanal mining sites, drawing thousands of gold miners from across West Africa. But alongside the economic boom, the region has seen a surge in human trafficking. In particular, hundreds of Nigerian women are forced into prostitution at the mining sites. This exploitation is driven by extensive transnational networks whose reach spans nearly every gold mining site in West Africa and beyond. Our Senegal correspondents report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
27 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Dangote's $20B refinery sources U.S. crude, raising questions on Nigeria's output
The Dangote refinery, the largest crude processing facility in Africa, has been importing significant quantities of U.S. crude WTI, highlighting an apparent inconsistency given Nigeria's status as Africa's top oil producer. Africa's largest refinery, Dangote, imports significant quantities of U.S. crude, despite Nigeria being Africa's top oil producer. The refinery processes U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland crude for its technical advantages, such as higher yields and gasoline blending improvements. Current Nigerian crude production capacity cannot fully supply the refinery's needs, leading to a reliance on imports. Following a prolonged back-and-forth between Nigeria's national petroleum company, the Dangote $20 billion refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), has turned to the US crude oil market in 2025, sourcing West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland crude, a Bloomberg's ship tracking data noted. The refinery's intake of American crude has risen to roughly one-third, almost double the proportion seen during its 2024 startup phase. More notably, the surge in U.S. crude imports persists despite Nigeria's status as Africa's top crude oil producer and key OPEC member. However, the country's crude production capacity is limited, and it struggles to meet the Dangote refinery's needs and broader national demands. Critics argue that the factors behind Dangote's crude reroute stem from concerns over logistics and technicalities. According to Randy Hurburun, senior refinery analyst at Energy Aspects, technical advantages play a key role. WTI Midland offers higher yields of reformate and improved gasoline blending characteristics. Additionally, the shift is a consequence of the recent downturn in Asian demand for U.S. crude, driven in part by ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, which has made more Midland oil available on the global market. As a further consequence, the refinery's ramp-up has led to a tightening of Nigerian crudes, a Dangote spokesperson confirmed, noting that June's crude intake will likely include an even higher share of U.S. supply. Bloomberg added that the event would allow U.S. crude to gain a larger share of Dangote's imports compared to Nigerian crude. Dangote refinery's refining capacity The Dangote Refinery, situated in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, Nigeria, has a designed processing capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), making it Africa's largest oil refinery and the world's largest single-train facility. The refinery, located near Lagos, began producing diesel and naphtha in early 2024, with gasoline output commencing in September. As of early 2025, the refinery was operating at approximately 85% capacity, processing around 550,000 bpd. To meet its crude requirements, the refinery has been importing significant quantities of U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil. In June 2025, it booked approximately 300,000 bpd of WTI, and in July, it planned to import at least 5 million barrels, equating to about 161,000 bpd Once fully operational, it is projected to meet Nigeria's entire domestic demand for refined petroleum products while generating surpluses for export across Africa and beyond. The image of Nigeria, a nation rich in oil, importing crude may seem ironic, but the Dangote refinery's sourcing strategy highlights broader challenges in the country's upstream sector, including underinvestment, theft, and operational inefficiencies. In contrast, the U.S. shale sector remains agile and export-oriented, with competitive grades like WTI Midland offering technical and economic advantages for large-scale processors. As Nigeria continues to reform its petroleum sector and attract new upstream investment, the success of the Dangote refinery could mark a turning point in reducing dependence on imported fuels – albeit fueled, for now, by American crude.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
I wed a Nigerian toyboy 43 years my junior – people think I'm ‘crazy', call me his ‘grandma' & say he's with me for cash
AGE RAGE I wed a Nigerian toyboy 43 years my junior – people think I'm 'crazy', call me his 'grandma' & say he's with me for cash Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 68-YEAR-OLD woman has revealed that she said 'I Do' with her Nigerian toyboy, who is 43 years her junior. When Kay, 68, and Ablack, 25, first connected on Facebook, they had no idea that a simple social media like would lead to marriage. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 An age gap couple have candidly opened up about their unique relationship, which started from a Facebook like Credit: Instagram/@ab_ablack2 4 Ablack, 25, proposed to Kay, 68, just three days after meeting and he is now her fourth husband Credit: Instagram/@ab_ablack2 4 But Kay's toyboy has been accused of being with her for money and a Visa Credit: YouTube/Truly 4 Despite this, Kay claimed that she has "never felt love like this before" Credit: YouTube/Truly But now, the couple have opened up on their unique relationship and explained how just three days after meeting in real life, Kay's toyboy popped the question. Revealing all to Truly, on an episode of Love Don't Judge, the couple admitted that they are constantly stared at in the street and Kay has even been accused of being Ablack's 'grandma'. Opening up about how their relationship first blossomed, Kay recognised: "He liked something I posted. He went from somebody who liked my post to my very best friend, I could tell him everything. It just kept getting stronger and stronger." After three failed marriages, Kay was initially 'very leery about being scammed' by the youngster. Not only was the mother called 'crazy' by many, but before long, the couple had tied the knot, with Ablack being Kay's fourth husband. Despite falling in love, the couple constantly face judgement over their age gap, with Kay being 43 years older than Ablack. But Kay beamed: 'I do not feel old when I'm around him. I feel very young, like a teenager.' With Ablack based in Nigeria and Kay over in the US, the pair have had to make the relationship work with the geographical distance. However, Ablack knows that the pair are destined to be, as he acknowledged: "A prophet told me that I'm going to get married to a white woman and here she is.' But although destiny brought them together, not everyone agrees with their relationship, as Ablack said, "Some people say, 'she's old enough to be your mum'. Some say, 'you're married to your grandma', 'she's too old for you'. I'm 20 and my man is 63 - people say he looks like Shrek and I must be in it for the money, but I'd still love him if he was a cleaner 'Anywhere we go, people take pictures of us.' Not only this, but people have even accused Ablack of getting 'married for a US green card'. Be careful girl. Scammers can be 'in love' too! YouTube user Clearly unfazed by the judgement, Kay, who is often referred to as Ablack's 'sugar mummy', said: "I've never felt love like this before. "This is the one I'm supposed to be with, I just had to wait a long time for him to be born. 'He treats me like a Queen. I'm his priority.' A-list age gap relationships that have stood the test of time Kris Jenner & Corey Gamble - 25 years The Kardashian matriarch, 69, met her younger man, 44, at a mutual friend's 40th birthday party in Ibiza. They've been together since August 2014. Sam & Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 23 years The director, 57, and actor, 34, reportedly met at a film audition in 2009, and were married by 2012. The pair share two daughters and Sam has two children from a previous marriage. Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley & Jason Statham - 20 years The model, 37, started dating actor Jason, 57, in 2010. They were wed in 2016 and have since welcomed a son and a daughter together. Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas - 25 years Catherine, 55, was introduced to Michael, 80, a film festival in 1996 and engaged three years later. Shortly after their engagement, the couple welcomed a son and married in 2000. Social media users react Social media users were left stunned by the couple's age gap relationship - and nasty trolls were out in full force in the comments on the YouTube clip. One person said: 'As a middle aged woman who's probably close to her age, this makes me uncomfortable.' This is the one I'm supposed to be with, I just had to wait a long time for him to be born Kay Another added: 'The prophet"s name is Visa.' A third warned: 'Be careful girl. Scammers can be 'in love' too!' At the same time, someone else wrote: 'Hope she has a lot of money to feed his whole family, why else would a 25 year old be with a woman in her 60s.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
I wed a Nigerian toyboy 43 years my junior – people think I'm ‘crazy', call me his ‘grandma' & say he's with me for cash
A 68-YEAR-OLD woman has revealed that she said 'I Do' with her Nigerian toyboy, who is 43 years her junior. When Kay, 68, and Ablack, 25, first connected on Facebook, they had no idea that a simple social media like would lead to marriage. Advertisement 4 An age gap couple have candidly opened up about their unique relationship, which started from a Facebook like Credit: Instagram/@ab_ablack2 4 Ablack, 25, proposed to Kay, 68, just three days after meeting and he is now her fourth husband Credit: Instagram/@ab_ablack2 4 But Kay's toyboy has been accused of being with her for money and a Visa Credit: YouTube/Truly 4 Despite this, Kay claimed that she has "never felt love like this before" Credit: YouTube/Truly But now, the couple have opened up on their unique relationship and explained how just three days after meeting in real life, Kay's toyboy popped the question. Revealing all to Opening up about how their relationship first blossomed, Kay recognised: "He liked something I posted. He went from somebody who liked my post to my very best friend, I could tell him everything. It just kept getting stronger and stronger." After three failed marriages, Kay was initially 'very leery about being scammed' by the youngster. Advertisement Read more real life stories Not only was the mother called 'crazy' by many, but before long, the couple had tied the knot, with Ablack being Kay's fourth husband. Despite falling in love, the couple constantly face judgement over their But Kay beamed: 'I do not feel old when I'm around him. I feel very young, like a teenager.' With Ablack based in Nigeria and Kay over in the US, the pair have had to make the relationship work with the geographical distance. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Exclusive Exclusive However, Ablack knows that the pair are destined to be, as he acknowledged: "A prophet told me that I'm going to get married to a white woman and here she is.' But although destiny brought them together, not everyone agrees with their relationship, as Ablack said, "Some people say, 'she's old enough to be your mum'. Some say, 'you're married to your grandma', 'she's too old for you'. I'm 20 and my man is 63 - people say he looks like Shrek and I must be in it for the money, but I'd still love him if he was a cleaner 'Anywhere we go, people take pictures of us.' Not only this, but people have even accused Ablack of getting 'married for a US Advertisement Be careful girl. Scammers can be 'in love' too! YouTube user Clearly unfazed by the judgement, Kay, who is often referred to as Ablack's 'sugar mummy', said: "I've never felt love like this before. "This is the one I'm supposed to be with, I just had to wait a long time for him to be born. 'He treats me like a Queen. I'm his priority.' A-list age gap relationships that have stood the test of time Kris Jenner & Corey Gamble - 25 years The Kardashian matriarch, 69, met her younger man, 44, at a mutual friend's 40th birthday party in Ibiza. They've been together since August 2014. Sam & Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 23 years The director, 57, and actor, 34, reportedly met at a film audition in 2009, and were married by 2012. The pair share two daughters and Sam has two children from a previous marriage. Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley & Jason Statham - 20 years The model, 37, started dating actor Jason, 57, in 2010. They were wed in 2016 and have since welcomed a son and a daughter together. Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas - 25 years Catherine, 55, was introduced to Michael, 80, a film festival in 1996 and engaged three years later. Shortly after their engagement, the couple welcomed a son and married in 2000. Social media users react Social media users were left stunned by the couple's Advertisement One person said: 'As a middle aged woman who's probably close to her age, this makes me uncomfortable.' This is the one I'm supposed to be with, I just had to wait a long time for him to be born Kay Another added: 'The prophet"s name is Visa.' A third warned: 'Be careful girl. Scammers can be 'in love' too!' At the same time, someone else wrote: 'Hope she has a lot of money to feed his whole family, why else would a 25 year old be with a woman in her 60s.' Advertisement Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club
