Goulamina Lithium Mine
Mali's first lithium mine, shipping spodumene concentrate to China since 2025.
Goulamina is an open-pit lithium mine in southern Mali, developed and controlled by China's Ganfeng Lithium after it bought out its partner Leo Lithium. Phase 1 began production in 2024 and is designed to produce about 506,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate a year. The first cargo left for China on 24 June 2025, trucked from the mine to the coast, and the first commercial shipment was unloaded in August 2025. The Malian state holds an interest under its revised mining code, but the exact percentage is not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- 01Run Phase 1 at about 506,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate a year
- 02Make Mali a significant lithium exporter
- 03Study a larger Phase 2 expansion
- 04Overcome the logistics of trucking concentrate from a landlocked country to the coast
2024 · completed
Production Start
Phase 1 began producing spodumene concentrate.
2025 · completed
Ganfeng Full Control
Ganfeng completed its purchase of Leo Lithium's remaining stake.
2025 · completed
First Shipment
The first cargo of lithium concentrate left for China on 24 June 2025.
2025 · completed
First Commercial Delivery
The first commercial shipment was unloaded in August 2025.
TBC · planned
Phase 2
Ganfeng has signalled a larger Phase 2 expansion without a confirmed timeline.
Mineral Resource
Lithium Pegmatite
Hard-rock spodumene-bearing pegmatite deposit.
Processing Plant
Phase 1 Plant
Designed to produce about 506,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate a year.
Construction Contractor
Mining Contract
Open-pit mining services contracted to Corica Mali.
- Open-pit mining of hard-rock lithium pegmatite
- Dense media separation and flotation to spodumene concentrate
- Road haulage to a coastal export port
What it means for the community
Goulamina diversifies Mali's mining economy beyond gold and links it to the battery supply chain. It started during a period of tighter state control over mining under Mali's revised mining code, and its value depends heavily on volatile lithium prices and the cost of moving concentrate overland to the sea.
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- Ganfeng Lithium (controlling)
- Government of Mali (interest under the mining code; percentage unconfirmed)
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