The Malian government renewed four gold exploration permits on Wednesday, September 2, covering perimeters in the Bougouni, Sikasso, Koulikoro, and Kayes regions.
The move brings the total number of extended mining titles to fourteen since August 21, marking a significant acceleration in regulatory processing following a two-year administrative freeze. Under the latest decision, Hongda Liujiu SARL secured the Ourounia licence in Bougouni, A.NA.DI.S SARL gained an extension for the Dézébéla site in Sikasso, and L’Horizon SARL received two authorisations for the Faladiè-Nord and Liberta-Sud perimeters in Kangaba and Kéniéba. The beneficiary companies have been granted three additional years to deepen geological exploration across these sites.
The decision builds on an August 21 decree that renewed ten other titles held across six companies, comprising eight gold exploration authorisations and two lithium licences. The lithium permits, covering 175 square kilometres across the Faraba and Gouna perimeters in southern Mali, were renewed for Intermin Lithium SARL, a subsidiary of Australia’s First Lithium group. Gold extensions were granted to entities including Lili SARL, Faya Mining SARL, Tropical Gold du Mali, and Cora Resources Mali SARL. The latter’s Sanankoro II permit is earmarked for incorporation into the broader Sanankoro gold development, which British parent company Cora Gold viewed as a key step toward securing a formal commercial extraction permit.
This regulatory clearing follows the November 2022 suspension of mining title processing, a measure partially lifted in March 2025 to allow review of renewals and conversions while new issuances remained restricted. The resumption remains targeted, coming after authorities cancelled over 90 non-compliant titles in late 2025.
Restoring exploration activity is critical as Mali seeks to rebuild its resource pipeline following a 22.9 percent drop in industrial gold output, which fell to 42.2 tonnes in 2025 from 54.8 tonnes in 2024. With official forecasts projecting annual production to hover around 43.2 tonnes in 2026, advancing these fourteen permits supports long-term stability in a sector that generates nearly 80 percent of national export revenues and contributes over 40 percent to state receipts.
MD/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA