Mr. Mark Bristow reports

BARRICK SELLS STAKE IN MORILA TO FOCUS ON TIER ONE ASSETS

Barrick Gold Corp. and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. have agreed to sell their 80-per-cent interest in the Morila gold mine in Mali to Mali Lithium Ltd. for cash consideration estimated at between $22-million and $27-million, depending on closing adjustments. The sale is subject to certain conditions, including the acknowledgment of the transaction by the State of Mali, which holds the remaining 20 per cent of the Morila gold mine. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars.

Barrick said the decision of the current shareholders to sell their stakes in Morila, which it operates, offered the potential for the mine to continue under a new ownership structure which would bring access to additional resources and a different approach to how the infrastructure is used to extend the life of operations. This would allow Barrick to focus on its strategy of discovering, developing owning and operating Tier 1 assets. The parties are targeting the closing of the deal before end of October, 2020.

The discovery and development of Morila, which poured its first gold in October, 2000, laid the foundation for Barrick legacy company Randgold Resources' growth into one of the world's leading gold miners.

Known in its heyday as Morila the gorilla, the mine produced 6.9 million ounces of gold and paid more than $2.5-billion to its stakeholders in the form of taxes and dividends. It served as the base for Randgold's expansion into Africa, among other things through the development of Loulo-Gounkoto in Mali and Kibali in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both these mines are now part of Barrick's Tier 1 portfolio.

In 2015, Morila transitioned to a stockpile and tailings treatment facility and was forecast to close in 2021.

Willem Jacobs, Barrick's chief operating officer for Africa and the Middle East, said the proposed acquisition by Mali Lithium Ltd. offered an opportunity for a new owner to extend the life of the mine by utilizing the existing infrastructure, applying different planning and evaluation criteria, and accessing additional satellite resources, which would continue to benefit Morila's in-country stakeholders.

We seek Safe Harbor.