Africa is a major producer of gold, producing up to 30% of global production.  Gold mine production is centred on underground and open pit operations in Archaean age greenstone belts in Ghana, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Cote de Ivoire and Zimbabwe. Nearly all of South Africa’s production is centred on the Witwatersrand placer gold deposits, which are mined almost exclusively underground. Exploration efforts centred on West Africa as well as East Africa are concentrating on surficial weathered gold-bearing lateritic and saprolitic rock, which is very suitable for relatively low cost surface mining methods, including heap-leach gold extraction.