Miner said the diamond market was in its worst state since the financial crisis that began in 2008.

As part of the deal, the miner will fund investment and exploration to the value of $13.9m at the Gramalote project next year.

Barrick Gold has ownership in seven of the 20 largest gold mines on the globe based on annual output.

The potash project developer posted a pretax loss of $1.5 million for the first half of 2019, compared to a loss of $1.1 million a year earlier.

The deal ends Acacia’s near-decade presence on the London Stock Exchange.

A new study says global battery metals consumption will rise six-fold by the mid 2020s but impact in Canada will be minimal.