Mali's 2015 gold exports soar

Mali exported a record 70.2 tonnes of gold in 2015, up from 53.2 tonnes the previous year, due to higher production by small-scale artisanal miners, the national statistics institute said on Saturday.

The west African nation is the third biggest gold producer in Africa behind South Africa and Ghana. Production in 2015 was valued at $2.2 billion and of the total exported 46.5 tonnes was mined by industrial producers, up 0.7 tonnes than the previous year.

Mali has more than 350 sites for small-scale mining and more than 1 million people are involved in the industry, according to the mines ministry.

The record is significant for Mali, whose economy has been hurt by political instability in the north and attacks by militants from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. It is one of the world’s poorest states and is vulnerable to climate change.