Mali’s gold production slumped last year after Barrick dispute

Tue Jan 20 2026

Mali’s industrial gold output fell 23 per cent last year, after a dispute between the ruling military junta and Barrick Mining Corp. shut the country’s largest operation.

Production in the West African nation dropped to 42.2 tons in 2025, falling for a second consecutive year from a 2023 peak of 66.5 tons. The decline was led by a slump at Barrick’s Loulo-Gounkoto, where output of 5.5 tons was only a third of the previous year. Most of that production came during the period when the mine was under provisional administration.

Mali and Barrick reached an agreement in November to end a dispute that had escalated after the government seized gold stocks and arrested staff, prompting the Canadian firm to launch international arbitration proceedings. The deal restored operational control to Barrick, which paid US$430 million to the state.

With Loulo-Gounkoto missing the mining ministry’s original output estimate, B2Gold’s Fekola mine was Mali’s top producer in 2025 with 17.5 tons, according to government figures. Production from Allied Gold’s Sadiola asset was boosted by ore from the Korali Sud deposit, while Resolute Mining’s Syama yielded 5.4 tons.

The conflict with Barrick stemmed from Mali’s 2023 mining code overhaul, which increased the state’s potential stake in mining projects to 35 per cent from 20 per cent.