Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery
Mali's military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako, one of a slew of deals between the two countries as Russia seeks to extend its regional influence.
The accord, a non-binding memorandum of understanding, involves building a 200 t/y refinery, minister Alousséni Sanou said in an interview on State television broadcast late on Tuesday.
The memorandum is valid for four years, he said, without giving a timeline for construction. If built, it would be the West African country's largest gold refinery.
"This will allow us not only to control all gold production but also to be able to correctly apply all taxes and duties," Sanou said.
The deal is the latest sign of Russia's deepening interests in Mali, one of Africa's largest gold producers, just as Western influence there wanes.
Russia's State nuclear energy company Rosatom signed a deal with Mali in October to explore for minerals and produce nuclear energy. Sanou said he had also signed a deal with a Russian firm to build a 200 MW to 300 MW solar power plant by mid-2025.
Mali's military, which took power in a 2021 coup, last year kicked out troops from former colonial power France, who were fighting Islamist militants, and teamed up with the Russian military contractor Wagner Group, which has operations across Africa, including lucrative mining deals.
Wagner has been accused of human rights abuses in Mali's fight against Islamists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
Industrial gold production in Mali totalled 66.2 t last year, mostly from mines owned by Barrick Gold, B2Gold, Resolute Mining, Allied Gold and Endeavour Mining.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Rooted in the hearts of South Africans, combining technology and a quest for perfection to bring you a battery of peerless standing. Willard...
VISIT SHOWROOM
We supply customers with practical affordable solutions for their testing needs. Our products include benchtop, portable, in-line process control...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
