According to journalist and consultant Keita Idrissa, the creation of a new Ministry to oversee Mali’s mining sector reflects a deliberate political and economic shift by the country’s leadership.
“This decision is as political as it is economic,” Idrissa said. “By placing the mining sector under direct presidential oversight, the authorities are signalling that gold revenues are now a matter of state sovereignty rather than routine administration.”
President Assimi Goïta has established a new ministerial post dedicated to supervising the mining sector, a strategic pillar of Mali’s economy, in a move that strengthens direct presidential control over the country’s gold industry.
The reform removes key oversight powers from the Ministry of Mines and places them under a new structure closely linked to the presidency. Hilaire Bebian Diarra, a former Senior Executive at Canadian mining group Barrick Mining, has been appointed to lead the new portfolio.
Diarra will be responsible for shaping mining policy, ensuring compliance with the mining code and reviewing reports submitted by licence holders, responsibilities previously held by the Ministry of Mines.
Idrissa said the move signals the authorities’ intention to tighten oversight of extractive revenues and reinforce state authority over strategic resources.
“The state wants greater visibility and control over how gold revenues are generated and managed,” he said.
He cautioned, however, that centralising control within the Presidency could raise governance concerns if transparency and institutional checks are weakened.
“The success of this reform will depend on whether stronger control is matched by accountability and clear rules,” Idrissa said.
Gold remains Mali’s most important export and a key source of public revenue, making the mining sector central to the country’s economic and political strategy.
–ChannelAfrica–
