MinEnergía launches Ecodorado to formalize Colombia's gold chain
Ecodorado, from MinEnergía and the National Mining Agency, targets a state gold trader, traceability and formalization — with 30,000+ beneficiaries reported by April 2026.
Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy and the National Mining Agency unveiled Ecodorado, a strategy to shift the gold chain toward legality, traceability and territorial development. MinEnergía says up to 80% of marketed gold may be informal or illegal, with royalty losses near COP 5 trillion a year.
State trader and formalization
A state gold trading company would buy from formalized small miners, aiming to scale legal purchases from 5 to 15 tonnes a year. By April 2026 the ministry reported more than 30,000 formalization beneficiaries and over 800 formalization titles or instruments. The mining agency enabled 381,000 hectares for future formalization contracts.
Responsible-mining fit
Ecodorado aligns with mercury-free artisanal mining plans and MinEnergía–MinAmbiente coordination on mining-environmental ordering — raising the bar on traceability for legal operators.