(Ecofin Agency) - Fourth largest gold producer in Africa, Mali has announced last Friday that its overall output for the ore could reach 95 tons in 2017, up 40% compared to 2016. The news which was reported by Reuters originally came from Mamadou Sidibé, one of the government’s officials.

The increase is attributed to production forecast for informal miners which should be of 50 tons, or more than twice the size of last year’s output (20.1 tons). Also, the government indicated that production should be boosted by the mines of Fekola (which came online last month) and Yanfolia (which should reach full production next year).

For now, Mali has produced, over the first nine months of this year, 35.2 tons of gold.