Mali’s military government has approved a fresh round of mining agreements under its revised code. On September 19, the country’s Council of Ministers ratified seven exploitation and exploration agreements. According to Reuters, the deals cover some of Mali’s biggest gold operations, including Allied Gold’s (TSX:AAUC,NYSE:AAUC) Sadiola project, B2Gold’s (TSX:BTO,NYSE:BTG) Fekola mine, Resolute Mining’s (ASX:RSG,LSE:RSG) Syama site and Ganfeng Lithium’s (OTC Pink:GNENF,HKEX:1772) Bougouni lithium project. The government said the agreements guarantee Mali a “non-reducible” stake in projects along with priority access to dividends, part of its drive to secure greater revenue from natural resources. The approvals follow preliminary accords reached last year and reflect the provisions of the 2023 mining code, which lifted royalties to 10 percent from 6.5 percent and increased mandatory state and local ownership in mines to at least 35 percent from 20 percent. Companies such as Endeavour Mining (TSX:EDV,LSE:EDV,OTCQX:EDVMF) have already signed deals on those terms, while…
