Mali’s industrial gold output plunged 22.9% in 2025, scarred by suspended operations and reform disputes, provisional mines ministry figures showed in Bamako.
The fall followed a lengthy shutdown at Barrick Mining, after a bitter standoff over tougher mining rules chilled confidence across the sector.
Mali, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, has pressed reforms since 2023 to capture greater value from its mineral wealth.
A sweeping state audit recovered 761 billion CFA francs in arrears, a dramatic windfall officials hailed as overdue justice for public coffers.
Yet the tougher rules unsettled miners and triggered a two-year clash with Barrick, placing its flagship Loulo-Gounkoto complex under provisional administration.
The dispute weighed heavily on sentiment and output, blunting gains from new entrants and expanding small-scale industrial operations.
Industrial production slid to 42.2 metric tons from 54.8 tons in 2024, far below the 66.48-ton peak recorded in 2023.
Loulo-Gounkoto reopened in July under a state administrator, but logistical hurdles limited production to 5.5 tons in 2025.
B2Gold overtook Barrick as Mali’s top producer, delivering 17.5 tons, while Allied Gold followed with 9.58 tons from expanding operations.
Artisanal output held steady at six tons, leaving total national production at 48.2 tons, well below the government’s 54-ton forecast.
Together, the numbers paint a sector in transition, where reform ambition clashes with industrial reality across Mali’s golden heartland.
