The transitional president of Mali, Assimi Goïta, has handed over more than 18 billion CFA francs to municipalities across the country as part of the government’s local mining development fund.
The official ceremony took place at the presidential palace in Koulouba in Bamako, where the Malian leader praised the government for implementing one of the key recommendations from the national consultations aimed at reforming the state.
Speaking to journalists after the event, Goïta said the government was pleased to fulfil what he described as a major demand from the Malian people.
We are very happy and very satisfied to have achieved this aspiration of the Malian people, he said.
According to Mali’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Alousséni Sanou, the total value of the Local Mining Development Fund for the 2025 financial year amounts to more than 18.4 billion CFA francs.
Sanou explained that the fund is financed through mandatory contributions from mining companies holding exploitation licences as well as firms authorised to carry out industrial extraction of quarry materials.
Under the approved distribution formula, 50 percent of the funds will go directly to municipalities located in mining areas, while 25 percent will be allocated to other local authorities within those zones. The remaining 25 percent will be shared among communities in other regions of the country.
The symbolic handover of the funds covered several regions including Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Bougouni, Kita, Tombouctou, San, Gao and Kidal.
Authorities say the initiative is intended to ensure that communities in mining areas directly benefit from the country’s natural resources while also supporting development projects across different parts of Mali.
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