Malian authorities are relaunching gold exploration activities. Indeed, during the council of ministers meeting last 30 September, the government approved ten decisions for the renewal of gold exploration permits, thereby ending, for the titles concerned, the effects of the suspension of renewals applied for more than two years.
The authorizations concern nine first renewals and one second permit renewal located mainly in the regions of Kayes, Sikasso, Bougouni and Koulikoro. The titles concerned had been granted between 2017 and 2022, before being affected by the freeze.
In Mali, each first renewal opens a new three-year exploration period, with the possibility of one additional extension. These authorizations should allow the beneficiary companies to continue their work to determine if the geological indications and anomalies identified can lead to the discovery of economically exploitable deposits.
The decisions concern several companies, including Company Mines and Career, Hongda Liujiu Mali, Ressources Robex Mali, Dansoko Gold Mine, Wagadou Explore, Yong Xin Mines and Africa Mining. A permit initially granted to M.B.C.
Diffusion, then transferred to Ressources Robex Mali, also appears among the renewed titles. Ressources Robex Mali thus obtains the renewal of three permits located in Sanoula, Gladié-Est and Mininko.
The company is also present in gold mining in Mali, through the Nampala mine, whose production expected in 2026 is between 41 000 and 46 000 ounces of gold. The renewal of exploration permits allows the company to continue its work on the perimeters concerned.
However, it does not constitute authorization for the exploitation of any deposits that might be discovered there. Dandoko, a strategic perimeter for the Fekola project.
One of the renewals concerns the Dandoko permit, located in the Kéniéba circle and granted to Africa Mining SARL in 2017, before a first renewal in 2020. This is its second renewal, justified by the identification of several geological anomalies requiring further exploration.
This perimeter is of particular interest due to its link with the regional Fekola project of the Canadian group B2Gold. The group presents Dandoko and Menankoto as the two components of this project, located near the Fekola mine.
The Dandoko perimeter covers approximately 100 km² and is located about twenty kilometers from this operation. According to estimates communicated by B2Gold, Dandoko contains measured and indicated mineral resources of 390 000 ounces of gold, in addition to 33 000 ounces of inferred resources.
These volumes remain mineral resource estimates and do not necessarily constitute economically exploitable reserves. For 2026, the group plans to invest 5,2 million dollars in its exploration activities in Mali, with approximately 8 200 meters of drilling on the Fekola complex.
According to its projections, the Fekola Regional project could contribute to an annual production of more than 150 000 ounces of gold starting in 2028. The renewal of the Dandoko permit thus allows for the continuation of research on a perimeter likely to contribute to the future development of the gold complex.
The realization of this potential will nevertheless depend on the results of exploration work and the conditions necessary for possible exploitation. Mali is also strengthening its mining research capabilities.
In parallel with the permit renewals, the council of ministers authorized the creation of a School of Mines and Petroleum, as well as an Agency for the Research and Development of Mineral Resources. The school's mission will be to provide initial and continuing education in the mining and petroleum sectors.
The agency will be responsible for strengthening geological, mining, petroleum, and gas knowledge of the national territory. These two structures should contribute to the development of skills and a better understanding of the potential of the Malian subsoil, two important dimensions to support prospecting and natural resource valorization activities.
The renewal of the ten permits therefore marks a resumption of exploration authorizations for the titles concerned after the suspension applied between December 2022 and March 2025. However, the Council of Ministers' statement does not specify the amount of investment associated with these renewals or the drilling schedules for most of the beneficiary companies.
At this stage, the decisions only authorize the continuation of exploration. The discovery of commercially exploitable deposits and their possible commissioning remain distinct steps, which will depend on geological results