Madagascar has ended a 16-year ban on new mining permits for most minerals, the government announced late on Thursday, while continuing to suspend permits for gold due to regulatory challenges.
The suspension, imposed in 2010 to allow a review of the country’s mining governance and legal framework, had halted the issuance of new licenses for over a decade, according to Reuters report.
Mining is a cornerstone of Madagascar’s economy, with key exports including nickel, cobalt, graphite, and ilmenite.
The Ambatovy nickel-cobalt project remains the country’s flagship operation, attracting significant foreign investment and contributing a major share of export earnings.
“Mining permit is an essential working tool that allows operators and investors to operate legally,” Carl Andriamparany, Madagascar’s Minister of Mines, said at a press conference late on Thursday.
“That is why we have decided to lift the suspension on issuing permits,” he added.
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According to Madagascar’s most recent Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report, published at the end of 2025, about 1,650 applications for mining permits were pending with the mining administration as of 2023.
However, the government opted to keep the moratorium on gold mining permits in place.
Andriamparany cited significant discrepancies between officially reported gold production and the scale of artisanal mining.
“According to official statistics for the past year … the volume of gold declared amounts to just over 13 kilograms,” he said, calling the figure “negligible” compared with the intensity of mining activity nationwide.
“In light of this situation, the government has acknowledged our current inability to effectively regulate the sector and establish a rigorous monitoring system.”
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