Mali, Russia reach agreement to build gold refinery, nuclear energy plant

The Malian military government has signed an agreement with Russia that includes a gold refinery project in Bamako, the capital.

Finance minister, Alousséni Sanou said in an interview on a state television broadcast late on Tuesday that the deal involves building the refinery to process 200 tonnes of gold on a yearly basis.

“This will allow us not only to control all gold production but also to be able to correctly apply all taxes and duties,” he added.

He also disclosed that a deal was reached with a Russian firm to build a 200- to 300-megawatt solar power plant by mid-2025.

Earlier in October, Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom signed a deal with Mali to explore for minerals and produce nuclear energy.

The agreement to build a gold refinery and energy plants in Mali highlights growing deep ties between Bamako and Moscow, just as the Western presence fades out.

The ruling junta, last year, expelled former colonial power France, who were fighting extremist insurgents in Operation Barkhane across the Sahel region.

Mali then replaced the French forces with the Russian military contractor Wagner Group, which has forces across Africa, including lucrative business interests.

The Russian mercenary has been accused of human rights violations in Mali’s fight against terror groups in the country.