Mansa Musa’s wealth stemmed primarily from the Mali Empire’s control over the lucrative trade in salt from the northern regions and, most notably, gold from the mines of Bambuk and Bure in the south.

Using his large army, he invaded other regions and doubled the size of his territory, growing his already vast empire. It is estimated that Mali came to control half of the world's supply of salt ...

The empire soon expanded and consolidated itself as a regional power in West Africa. This was mostly due to the region’s wealth in gold. At its peak, the Mali Empire contained three large gold ...

Local manuscripts and travellers’ accounts state that Mansa Musa's wealth came from the Mali Empire's control and taxation of the salt trade in northern regions and gold mining in the south.

Mali said on Wednesday it was suspending licenses for foreign artisanal gold mining companies after a series of fatal accidents in the West African country, one of ...