Mali will partially lift its suspension on the issuance of mining permits from March 15, the country’s Ministry of Mines announced on Friday.
The West African nation, one of Africa’s leading gold producers, had halted the allocation of mining titles in November 2022, citing the need to improve its regulatory procedures. Since then, the military-led government has introduced a new mining code that raises taxes and grants the state a larger stake in mining projects.
The ministry stated that the decision to partially lift the suspension follows extensive efforts to clean up the country’s mining register. Under the revised system, Mali’s mining administration will now process applications for the renewal of search and exploitation permits, transitions from search to exploitation, and the transfer of exploitation permits.
However, the government clarified that the issuance of new mining permits and the transfer of search permits will remain suspended.
