Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Felix Diallo, Ambassador of Mali to India, was in Bhopal to attend the recently concluded Global Investors Summit (GIS). During his visit, Diallo spoke to Free Press about the untapped potential of the mineral-rich countries he represents and their need for technological expertise in mining and healthcare.
Diallo said that both Mali and Burkina Faso were home to vast underground deposits of precious metals and rare earth elements, including gold, lithium, and others.
However, he pointed out that the two countries lacked technical expertise required to explore and extract their subterranean wealth. “Burkina Faso is rich in minerals such as gold, zinc, manganese, copper, phosphate, limestone, diamonds, bauxite, nickel and vanadium.
Similarly, Mali has an estimated 800 tonnes of gold deposits, making it the country with the largest gold reserves in the West African region. Mali also boasts significant reserves of diamonds, phosphate and iron ore,” Diallo said.
In addition to precious metals, Mali is known for its semiprecious stones, such as amethyst, epidote, garnet, prehnite, and quartz. Some diamonds are also extracted as a by-product during gold mining.
According to the United States Geological Survey, Mali is estimated to have 700,000 tonnes of lithium resources.
“We would like companies from Madhya Pradesh to bid for exploration, surveying and mining operations in our countries. We need high-tech equipment and expertise to extract and manage these valuable resources,” Diallo added. He also expressed the need for improvements in public health sector.
Both Mali and Burkina Faso face significant challenges in terms of medical infrastructure, particularly in areas of medical equipment and trained personnel. “It would be wonderful if Madhya Pradesh could assist us by training our doctors and paramedics. This would help us provide better healthcare services to our people. Additionally, we need necessary medical equipment to improve our health services,” he said.
