Mali cancels mining permits

Mali has cancelled 130 mining permits, about 30% of existing permits in the gold-producing West African nation, in a drive to clean up the sector, reports The Africa Report. The new government said in September that it will carry out a complete inventory of existing mining contracts, titles and licences and was ready to renegotiate permits that were not in the country’s interest.

Hassimi Sidibe, a technical adviser in the ministry said the cancelled permits include those held by Malians as well as foreigners and targeted those where no development has taken place. The mines ministry said the cancellation would effectively unfreeze those permits and allow the government to issue them to other investors with the technical and financial ability to pursue explorations.

South African engineers win Mali gold mine contract

Gold and exploration company Hummingbird Resources has appointed South African project management firm Senet as engineers for its processing plant and associated infrastructure at its Yanfolila gold project in Mali.

Senet has extensive west African experience, as well as over three years on the Yanfolila project for Gold Fields before Hummingbird took it over. According to Hummingbird CEO Dan Betts, the contract was awarded after a competitive tender process where expressions of interest were received from a number of globally recognised consultancies..