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Gold Mined in Mali Must be Processed in Mali: Minister on Gold Processing Plant Project With Russia

© SputnikAmadou Keita, Malian minister of mines
Amadou Keita, Malian minister of mines - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 26.03.2024
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In late February, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discussed numerous bilateral issues, including cooperation in mining. Diop said in this regard that Mali has a lot of potential in this field, and the country wants to enhance its partnership with Russia in this sector.
Gold mined in Mali should be processed in Mali, the country's Minister of Mines, Amadou Keita, told Sputnik Africa, commenting on the gold processing plant project with Russia.
In order to process minerals extracted from its soil, the African country has decided to build a gold processing plant, he said on the sidelines of the Atomexpo-2024 International Forum.
To this end, the delegation visited the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia and the Krastsvetmet company, which specializes in the mining of precious metals and the processing of mineral and secondary raw materials, Keita revealed.
"We have signed a memorandum of understanding under which Krastsvetmet will help us build a refinery capable of processing 200 tons of gold per year," he said.
This partnership will allow the West African country to use Krastsvetmet's technologies and equipment and, therefore, to have the industrial equipment necessary for processing gold mined in Mali and in the sub-region, the minister added.
"Our goal with Russia today is to ensure that Russian partners can come to Mali and invest in a mutually beneficial partnership in terms of research, operations, and skills transfer," he noted.
Gold miners pan for gold in the Eastern Congo mining town of Kamituga March 13, 2021. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 29.02.2024
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Lithium Industry

Mali wants to develop the lithium industry along the entire chain, the senior official stressed.
"Since we have large reserves of lithium, we have decided that it is also necessary to develop a technology. We need to develop the lithium industry from production to energy storage," he underlined.
Keita noted that this kind of forum, as Atomexpo-2024, allows one to share experiences with other countries and establish partnerships.
The Atomexpo-2024 International Forum is taking place on March 25-26 in the Russian federal territory of Sirius on the Black Sea coast.
In late February, following the meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow, the head of Mali's diplomacy, Abdoulaye Diop, highlighted his country's potential in the mining field, stressing that West African nations would like to "have a strengthened partnership with Russia to also benefit from its experience and expertise and move towards a win-win partnership."
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