Since their arrival in power, the desire shown by the transitional authorities in Mali is to ensure that mining contributes much more than today to the economic and social development of the country. After ordering an audit of about fifteen mining companies, they have just adopted two laws on Tuesday, August 8th, which act as a takeover of the sector by the authorities.
The State will now receive a 10% stake free of charge from the operators of a deposit and is given the option of buying an additional 20% stake. Local investors are also guaranteed the opportunity to enter projects up to 5%.
The new text also provides for cutting mining conventions. Research titles are issued for a maximum of nine years and operating permits for large mines for 12 years, but can be renewed.
An Ambitious Framework
The other innovation is the removal of the fuel exemptions granted to the mine during operation. They will only be maintained during the prospecting years. The miners are also obliged to contribute 0.75% of their quarterly turnover to a mining fund for local development, a structure provided for in the previous text, but which has never been functional.
This new 2023 version code is supplemented by a second law that is unprecedented in its form. Under the name of “local content”, it regulates the place granted to Malian companies and national workers in the sector. The text sets an ambitious framework to help develop local human and material capacities.
This framework, which risks being difficult to apply, is already alerting certain experts. The issuance of mining titles suspended last November is also still in effect.