Since 2003, Mali is the third producer of gold in Africa. Industrial gold mining has led to much hope for Mali’s economic development : the increase in state revenue should have had a positive impact on social expenditures in the areas of education, health, etc. Moreover, the establishment of a mining industry was expected to bring improvements in the situation of local communities. Yet gold has not brought Mali out of poverty : the country ranks 175th among 177 countries in terms of human development. Mining codes set up with the support of the World Bank promote foreign investment by offering companies large tax exemptions for the first 5 years, depriving the State of the resources that could have been obtained from this economic activity, while a mine’s lifetime rarely goes beyond 10 to 15 years.