Mali’s military government has signed seven new deals with mining companies as part of its effort to increase state revenue from mining activities. The government revised the country’s mining code in 2023 to increase state revenues from mining and to require at least 35 percent local ownership of mines. As the price of gold has risen in recent years, governments across West Africa, which is the center of gold production on the continent, have moved to make sure that they benefit. However, Africa’s gold rush is a double-edged sword, Jessica Moody wrote in WPR in July. The high price of gold has also increased artisanal gold mining activity, leading to tensions between artisanal and industrial miners, and to violent clashes as jihadist insurgents seek to tap mining revenues to fund their operations.