Mali president officially opens Bougouni Lithium Project

The official opening of the Stage 1 Dense Media Separation ("DMS") processing plant at the Bougouni Project was hosted by General Ousmane Wele, Governor of the Bougouni Region, who welcomed government dignitaries including President Goïta, Professor Amadou Keita, the Mali Minister of Mines, community leaders including the Village Chief of Ngoulana, and national and local media. To celebrate the official opening of the Bougouni Project, located approximately 180km south of Bamako in southern Mali, the ceremony included speeches from Professor Keita and Chairman of Kodal Mining UK Limited (“KMUK”) and CEO of Hainan Mining Co. Ltd (“Hainan”), David Teng, who is also a director of Kodal. This was followed by a guided tour of the Bougouni Project including the DMS processing plant for visiting dignitaries, where the official unveiling of an Inauguration Plaque by President Goïta took place.

Bernard Aylward, CEO of Kodal Minerals, remarked: “I am delighted to have attended the opening today and observed the strong support of the President of the Republic of Mali, General Assimi Goïta, government dignitaries and representatives from the communities in which we operate. I noted particularly the comments of the Chief of Ngoualana referring to the opportunities the new development provides and stating his belief that this was the greatest day for his village.

“In partnership with Hainan, the Bougouni operations team has delivered our flagship critical minerals project, both on time and within our US$65 million capital budget. This is no small achievement, and I want to give a heartfelt thanks to Steve Zaninovich, Kodal’s Operations Director and Jerry Gao, Hainan VP of Operations, who have led our dedicated 650-strong team of employees, 95% of which are Malian nationals – a number we can be extremely proud of. Our Project will deliver direct and indirect benefits to not only the local community here at Bougouni but also nationally to the wider Malian economy. It was very pleasing to see the happiness of all of our team present at the opening and the recognition of this achievement.

“I also want to offer our thanks to President Goïta, Professor Amadou Keita and General Wele, whose steadfast support has helped us advance and complete the first stage of the Bougouni Project. Lithium is still a relatively new commodity in Mali and with a production target of 125 000 tpy for Stage 1, I look forward to our Bougouni Project significantly contributing to the national output of the country’s ‘white gold’, with further plans to almost double output for Stage 2, which is currently in the planning phase.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/06112025/mali-president-officially-opens-bougouni-lithium-project/