Madagascar lifts 16-year freeze on mining permits, excludes gold

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Madagascar has lifted its 16-year suspension on the issuance of mining permits, announced on Friday night Carl Andriamparany, Minister of Mines and Strategic Resources, during a national television broadcast.

According to the minister, the move aims to boost national economy and support social development, while reinforcing the government's commitment to transparency, good governance of natural resources, and proper management of mining permits.

He said that the long-standing suspension had caused an increase in illegal mining activities.

However, Andriamparany said that the decision did not apply to gold, adding that the lifting of the suspension for gold mining permits was still under discussion within the government.

According to local media, the permit-granting system is based on three modalities: authorizations for small-scale operators, competitive bidding for industrial projects, and processing of applications by the mining brigade.

Madagascar possesses relatively abundant mineral resources such as nickel, cobalt, and graphite. According to the latest report about Madagascar published at the end of 2025 by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 1,650 mining permit applications were pending approval in 2023. ■