The Malian government authorized the renewal of 10 gold exploration permits during its Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, September 30, unfreezing critical concessions affected by a nation-wide regulatory suspension enforced between December 2022 and March 2025.
The decisions encompass nine first-stage three-year extensions and one second-stage renewal for active sites distributed across the mining regions of Kayes, Sikasso, Bougouni, and Koulikoro. Among the primary corporate beneficiaries are Ressources Robex Mali, Company Mines and Career, Hongda Liujiu Mali, Dansoko Gold Mine, Wagadou Explore, Yong Xin Mines, and B2Gold-linked Africa Mining SARL, granting developers authorization to resume exploratory drilling without conferring immediate commercial extraction rights.
Key assets affected by the council’s order include the Dandoko concession in Kéniéba Circle, operated by Africa Mining SARL and designated as a core component of Canadian miner B2Gold’s Fekola Regional expansion project. Situated 20 kilometers from the primary Fekola mine, the 100-square-kilometer Dandoko area holds an estimated 390,000 ounces of measured and indicated gold resources, backing B2Gold’s $5.2 million regional exploration program in 2026 as the company targets annual output exceeding 150,000 ounces from the zone starting in 2028. Concurrently, Ressources Robex Mali secured extensions across three properties—Sanoula, Gladié-Est, and Mininko—complementing operations at its active Nampala mine, which is projected to yield up to 46,000 ounces of gold in 2026. Parallel to the licensing decisions, the Council of Ministers approved decrees establishing a specialized School of Mines and Petroleum alongside an Agency for Mineral Resources Research and Development to expand domestic technical training and strategic geological surveying.
MD/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA