Madagascar has lifted a 16-year moratorium on new mining permits for most minerals, while maintaining the suspension on gold licences due to regulatory concerns, Reuters reported.

The country’s mining sector, a key driver of export earnings, includes major operations in nickel, cobalt, graphite, and ilmenite. The Ambatovy nickel-cobalt project continues to serve as Madagascar’s flagship venture, attracting significant foreign investment.

Carl Andriamparany, Minister of Mines, said mining permits are “an essential working tool that allows operators and investors to operate legally,” explaining that this was central to the government’s decision to resume issuing licences for most minerals.

Despite reopening the sector for other minerals, the government cited challenges in regulating gold mining. Andriamparany pointed to a stark gap between official production figures and artisanal activity, noting that only slightly over 13 kilograms of gold were declared in the past year. He described this amount as “negligible” relative to the scale of nationwide mining activity and said the government currently lacks the capacity to enforce effective oversight.

The moratorium, originally imposed in 2010, had halted the issuance of new permits while authorities reviewed Madagascar’s mining governance and legal framework. According to the country’s most recent Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report, published at the end of 2025, roughly 1,650 mining permit applications were pending as of 2023.