Firefinch Ltd (ASX:FFX) has published an interview with His Excellency Lamine Seydou Traore, Minister of Mines, Energy and Water of Mali of his recent visit to the Morila Gold Mine in Mali.
The company acquired the mine in November 2020, with an 80% interest from Barrick Gold and AngloGold for US$29.87 million, transforming the company into a gold producer.
In the interview, which was conducted by Mali’s National TV Channel, ORTM, the Minister conveyed his pleasure with the “company that took over the Morila gold mine to avoid its closure.”
Interview highlights
He said: “Because of this takeover by Firefinch, we are in the process of saving more than 500 direct jobs and nearly 2,000 indirect jobs.
“It was important for us to come and inquire about the implementation of this new development to the benefit of the neighbouring populations, and to the benefit of the Malian population at large.
“Our visit to the fishponds, as well as other infrastructures of the kind, comfort us and show us that this mine is in line with the policy of the Transitional Government, whose guideline was given by the President of the Transition, who wants gold to shine brighter for the Malian populations.
“And to achieve this, it is necessary to insist on this local development aspect, and I can see that Firefinch is working on it.
“We were pleasantly surprised to find that this is the leitmotif of the Firefinch group, which today has clearly shown us that out of 500 employees, there are only 4 expatriates, and this is encouraging.”
Malian mining sector “rich in resources”
The Minister continued: “The Malian mining sector is very rich in resources.
“But for these resources to be properly exploited, we need investors, investments, whether national or international.
“But above all, it is necessary that all these investors join hands to advance this particularly important sector for our country.”