(Ecofin Agency) - Kodal Minerals produced its first lithium concentrate at the Bougouni mine in Mali in February 2025. The company planned to start exports by the end of the first quarter. Mali’s second lithium operation still lacks the permits it needs to export.

Two months after launching the Bougouni mine, Kodal Minerals has not exported any lithium from the site. In an April 17 press release, the company said exports could begin “in the next quarter.” 

The mine produced its first spodumene concentrate in February 2025. By the end of March, the plant had 11,000 tons ready for shipment to China through the port of Abidjan. 

Pending export permits, the production is stocked on-site. Kodal is in talks with Malian authorities to secure the necessary approvals.

Kodal Minerals has not said if the permit delay relates to unresolved issues with the Bougouni mining license. 

As part of a shareholder restructuring and to comply with Mali’s 2023 Mining Code, Kodal requested the transfer of the Bougouni mining permit from its subsidiary, Future Minerals-SARL, to a new joint venture, Les Mines de Lithium de Bougouni-SA. The Council of Ministers approved this transfer on April 16. 

The new ownership structure gives Mali a 35% stake in the mine, with 5% reserved for local investors, and 65% held by Kodal Minerals and its Chinese partner Hainan Mining.

Once exporting begins, Mali will gain a new stream of mining revenue. Kodal Minerals and Hainan Mining, who funded the mine’s construction, expect to start earning income and recoup their investment.

This article was initially published in French by Emiliano Tossou  

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho