Mali’s industrial gold output reached 23.5 tonnes in the first half of 2026, compared with about 18 tonnes a year earlier, an increase of more than 30%, Minister of Mines Amadou Keïta announced during a press briefing held on Thursday 22 October in Bamako.
This volume exceeds the 21.2 tonnes forecast for the first half. The government is aiming for output of 43.2 tonnes for the whole of 2026.
Fekola provided 8.85 tonnes over the half-year and Loulo 6.9 tonnes, according to ministry data. Loulo’s output therefore already exceeds the 5.5 tonnes recorded for the whole of 2025, a year marked by a dispute between the state and the operator Barrick before a settlement.
The rebound follows a 22.9% fall in industrial output in 2025, to 42.2 tonnes from 54.8 tonnes in 2024. A ministry projection published in July had already forecast 43.2 tonnes in 2026, then 51.2 tonnes in 2027.
The value of gold exports rose despite lower volumes, from 1,610 billion CFA francs in 2024 to 2,750 billion in 2025. Mining companies paid the state 940 billion CFA francs in respect of gold production in 2025, according to the minister.
Stacked gold ingots. Illustrative image, unrelated to any Malian mine or to the data announced on 22 October 2026. Stevebidmead / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Dedicated WebP version.