Briefly, by starting this thread on Mali, I'm hoping to share with all the wonderful members of this community news pertaining to economic development and progress that may not otherwise be covered. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Bamako, Mali - China has signed with Mali a preferential loan agreement worth FCFA 75 billion for the construction of a 240km-long freeway from Bamako to Segou, PANA learnt from official sources. The loan agreement was signed Monday by Malian Finance Minister Sanoussi Toure and the China's Ambassador to Mali Zhiang Guoqing.

The loan will allow Mali to build a new 2-lane freeway on the Bamako-Segou corridor, which is pivotal to the sustainable economic and social development of the West African country.

The freeway will be build by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/china-grants-mali-fcfa-75b-loan-for-road-project-2010092957129.html

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome Maliba.

Mali to grant third telecommunication license
June, 4 th 2011


Mali is planning to invite tenders for a third telecommunication license after the expiry of the contract with Maroc Telecom on December 31, APA can reveal on Friday from an official source.

A clause of the agreement for the settlement of Maroc Telecom, which had taken over the first operator in the country Sotelma and its branch GSM Malitel, did not provide for the attribution of a new license in Mali before January 1st, 2011.

Maroc Telecom now shares the Malian market with telecommunication products such as home or office lines, mobile phones, and the Internet, with the operator “Orange Mali.”

According to the latest figures provided by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (CRT), the revenues of both operators have recorded a 229% rise in five years, increasing from 62.7 billion CFA francs in 2002 to 206 billion CFA francs in 2007.

source: APA

Mali: Découverte d'une mine de fer à Bafoulabé
06/07/2011

Une mine de fer d'une potentialité estimée à plus d'un milliard de tonnes a été découverte à Talari, à 365 km de Bamako, dans le cercle de Bafoulabé, par la société minière indienne, Earthstone, en joint-venture avec la société malienne, Kadiel Mining, a appris la PANA. Les explorations se poursuivent actuellement en profondeur, les promoteurs espérant obtenir jusqu'à dix milliards de tonnes de minerai de fer. La concession couvre une superficie de 260 km2. Du début des travaux d’exploration, en avril dernier, à ce jour, ce sont au total neuf corps de minerai de fer à 45 pour cent qui ont été identifiés, soit plus de 350 millions de tonnes de minerai massif et plus de 62 millions de tonnes de minerai résiduel.

La production attendue est de 21 millions de tonnes en 30 ans, ce qui permettra d’alléger la dépendance de l’économie nationale de l'or dont le Mali est le troisième producteur africain, après l’Afrique du Sud et le Ghana.
Le projet doit créer environ 300 emplois pendant une vingtaine d’années.

Une autre société, Sahara Mining exploite déjà un gisement de plus de deux milliards de tonnes de minerai de fer à Tiéfala, 30 km à l’est de Bamako, dans la région de Koulikoro.

source: Pana

^^
Iron mine with a potential estimated at over one billion tons discovered at Talaris, 365 km from Bamako.
Exploitation will create 300 jobs.

Mauritian Energy firm licensed to produce more energy in Mali
June, 24 th 2011

The Mauritian firm Albatros Energy, the initiator of a big fuel project in the region of Kayes, west of Mali, has been authorized by the Council of Ministers to increase the output of its future power plant by up to 66 megawatts.


Present in Mali under a so-called BOOT process, which sanctions the firm to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) signed in August 2010, Albatros Energy’s original plan is to produce 51 megawatts for an installed capacity of 89.6 megawatts in Mali.

According to the contract between the two parties, the power plant will be constructed by Albatros Energy and operated for ten years before being ceded to the Malian state.

Kayes, where the future power plant would be located, is a mining region with many sites whose developers have regularly complained about the high cost of electricity.


source: APA

Mali to Spend $44 Million to Boost Telecommunications Network
By Diakaridia Dembele - Aug 4, 2011

Mali will spend$44 million to build a fiber-optic telecommunications network and link the West African nation to neighboring Niger and Algeria.

China’s Huawei Technologies Co. will build a 915-kilometer (569-mile) grid of the cables within 10 months, according to an e-mailed statement sent following a weekly government meeting that was held in the capital, Bamako, yesterday.


www.bloomberg.com

Mali-Côte d'Ivoire: Le projet d'interconnexion des réseaux électriques exécuté à 60 pc
11/08/2011

Le projet d’interconnexion des réseaux électriques malien et ivoirien a été réalisé à 60 pour cent sur la liaison Ferkéssédougou (Côte d’Ivoire) – Sikasso–Koutiala–Ségou (Mali), annonce mercredi un communiqué du ministère malien de l’Energie et de l’Eau.

Pour la liaison Laboa – Boudiali - Férkéssédougou (territoire ivoirien) destinée à renforcer le transit de puissance vers le Mali de 80 à 200 MW, les intentions de contribution de financement exprimées par le gouvernement de l’Inde et par la Communauté économique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’ouest (CEDEAO) permettent de boucler le financement du coût des travaux, indique le communiqué.

Les projets de renforcement des parcs de production et des réseaux de transport d’électricité au niveau des deux pays ont fait l’objet d’échanges entre les deux partenaires, lors d'une réunion tenue le 05 août en marge de la visite du ministre malien des Affaires étrangères en Côte d'Ivoire.

Selon le communiqué, des instructions ont été données au comité de direction du projet pour prendre les dispositions nécessaires pour relancer les travaux sur le tronçon Ferkéssédougou–Zégoua au Mali.

De même, des recommandations ont été faites pour que le contrat de fourniture et d’achat d’énergie électrique soit finalisé pour octobre 2011.

source: Pana

^^
Southern Mali - Northern Ivory Coast: 60 % of power grid interconnexion project done

Mali seeks to develop oil reserves
011-08-12


The Malian government announced last week that it was moving forward with plans to exploit oil resources in the mineral rich Taoudeni basin, despite concerns over an al-Qaeda presence in the area.

In a statement released August 3rd, Malian authorities said they signed a contract for "oil exploration and extraction, refining and transport" with Petroplus Angola worth 46 billion West African francs (nearly 70 million euros). The company will also contribute to training Malian personnel in the field.

Observers said the biggest challenge the Malian government will face in extracting oil from the Taoudeni basin is the danger of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which has military camps near the area.

"There have been several reasons preventing the basin countries from exploiting it for decades," said Mohameden Ould Brahim, a mining expert. "Today, there is the emerging danger of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has come to threaten African countries and the interests of Western countries as well."

He added, "But perhaps Mali felt it necessary to exploit this basin, which is the largest sedimentary basin in West Africa, spanning an area estimated at 1,500,000 km between Mauritania, Mali and Algeria, and extending to the borders of Burkina Faso. It is proceeding along the lines of what was done by Mauritania, which depended on the exploration of the French company Total, which drilled 100km east of the city of Ouadane, northeast of Nouakchott."

The results of drilling carried out by the Total company in Mauritania will be important and decisive for the future of oil exploration in the Taoudeni basin, which is larger than half the size of Mauritania, where other oil exploration companies in the same basin – the Spanish Repsol, for example – are anxiously awaiting its results to know whether to continue exploration in sections in Lemira in northern Tagant state," Ould Brahim said.

Analyst Mohamed Ould Toulba said that the Malian move was "a positive sign indicating that pockets of al-Qaeda have been affected by the strike against them by the Mauritanian army".

"Thus, the danger of terrorism in the region is no longer feared," Ould Toulba said. "Added to that, capital is a coward, which means that the giant corporations operating in the exploration field will not venture drilling in unsafe territory."


By Jemal Oumar for Magharebia in Nouakchott

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^^
Mali hopes to develop the wealth of resources in the Taoudeni basin.

Mali: Bamako Real Estate Market Overview 2011

This overview provides highlights of the industrial, retail, office, and residential real estate markets in Bamako, capitol of Mali.


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Office market

The Bamako market is mainly focused on the Quartier du Fleuve, with the banks generally being located alongside the Niger River and close to the landmark BCEAO Tower. The old airport site of ACI 2000, located to the west of the city, continues to see activity and further development of all types, fuelled by the initial construction of new embassies, most notably the US. In addition, there is a general shift of government departments to this area.


Retail market

There are no international retailers in Bamako and the market is generally informal and based around street trading, with the Marché Rose and Street Market in the city centre being key locations. There are small, locally owned supermarkets in the better residential locations across Bamako. Retail is developing to the west at ACI 2000, where there are also some car showrooms.


Industrial market

The Bamako market is very much local and artisanal, and there are no international manufacturers in the city. This is mainly due to the demographics and landlocked nature of Mali. The manufacturing that is present in the city is largely craft-based, with some food related activity. The main industrial zone is to the east of the city beyond the Cité du Niger district.


Residential market

Demand for high quality residential units in the popular areas of Badalabougou, Niaréla, Hippodrome, ACI 2000 and Cité du Niger is strong. The most significant expatriate locations are close to the banks of the Niger and properties that have a view over the river command the best prices. There is significant residential development and investment activity, primarily in the social housing sector. Two major residential projects have recently been announced by a privately owned, local real estate company. One is a new housing estate in western Bamako and the other is a new business centre, residential area and tourism site.




source: Afribiz

..

Mali’s Artisanal Gold Production May Be as Much as 20 Tons
Sep 15, 2011


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Gold production by Mali’s unregulated, artisanal miners may be as much as 20 metric tons each year, according to Abdoulaye Pona, president of the country’s Chamber of Mines.

“There are not any reliable statistics,” he said in a statement handed to reporters in Bamako, the capital, today. “But one can validly estimate that it is at least between 15 and 20 tons” with production taking place at as many as 400 mine sites, Pona said.

Mali vies with Tanzania to be Africa’s third-biggest gold producer after South Africa and Ghana.


source: Bloomberg



^^
A lot of potential but that sector needs investment and regulation.

Mali Invites Offers for Third Telecommunications License
Sep 16, 2011

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Mali’s government is inviting bids for a third telecommunications license and is expected to make a decision within two months, state-owned L’Essor newspaper reported, without saying where it got the information.

Submissions will be allowed from Sept. 19 to Oct. 11, with the handing over of bid documents set for Nov. 14, according to the newspaper. The payment of license charges is expected to be completed by the end of November, L’Essor said.

Orange and Sotelma-Malitel are the two incumbent operators in the African nation, the newspaper reported.


source: Bloomberg
...

Rehabilitated Mali airport to be inaugurated on Sunday
17 september 2011


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Bamako– Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré will on Sunday inaugurate the renovated international airport of Kayes Dag-Dag, 480 km west of the capital Bamako, official sources told PANA on Saturday.

The airport was renovated at 8.6 billion FCFA, with the Arab Bank for Africa’s Economic Development (BADEA) financing 75% of the cost while the Malian government paid 25%.

The rehabilitation was carried out by a Chinese company, Checec, which built a new terminal and extended the runway from 1,600 to 2,700 metres.

The renovation of the airport will help develop air traffic in the region which has the largest number of Malian nationals abroad, especially in France, the sources said.

The Kayes Dag-Dag Airport also has facilities specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).


source: PANA
...

:cheers:
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Mali Mulls New Airport in North-Eastern Kidal Region
Sep 19, 2011

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Mali is conducting a study on the construction of an international airport in the eastern region of Kidal, National Radio of Mali reported, citing Transport Minister Hamed Diane Semega.

No further information was provided, the Bamako-based state-owned broadcaster said. Kidal is situated about 1,200 kilometers (743 miles) northeast of the capital, Bamako.

The West African country recently completed an upgrade of the Kayes Dag Dag airport, about 480 kilometers northwest of Bamako, the broadcaster said. The facility is now able to receive Boeing Co. 747-type aircraft, after its runway was extended and widened, it said.

^^
Hope this will be realised.
It would be a massive and necessary boost for the opening up of this region.

Sahara Plans $300 Million Steel Mill in Mali to Serve Region
Sep 22, 2011


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Sahara Mining SA, an iron ore miner with operations in Mali, plans to build a $300 million steel mill near Tienfala in the southwest of the country to help close a supply gap in West Africa.

Construction of the mill, with an initial capacity of 300,000 metric tons a year, will start in October and it should be operational within 18 months, founder Sandeep Garg said by telephone from Mali. Sahara is planning to expand capacity to 1 million tons a year within five years and expects investment to reach $1 billion, he said.

African steel consumption of finished products totaled 25.6 million tons last year, of which Egypt and South Africa used 13.6 million tons. That compares with crude steel production of 17.2 million tons, according to statistics from the World Steel Association.

“Except for a handful of small mills in Nigeria, there are no steel producers in West Africa,” Mohamed Kharva, an analyst at Nedcor Securities, said from Cape Town. “If this project can come to fruition, it will be a step in the right direction for Africa to industrialize.”

The mill, which will produce long products for the West African market, is partly financed by a group of local banks in Mali, Garg said.


source: Bloomberg
...

Mali: Angolan company to prospect for oil in Mali
03/11/2011


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Bamako– The governments of Mali and Angola have signed an agreement under which Angolan company, Petro Plus, will prospect for oil in Mali, PANA reported from here. The Malian minister of Mines, Amadou Cissé, and the president of the Angolan company, Vincent Michel, signed the agreement on Tuesday in Bamako to cover research, exploitation, transportation and refining of liquid or gas hydrocarbons. The agreement is for the period 2011 to 2016.

The deal relates to blocks 1A and 1B, located in the basin of Taoudénit, in northern Mali.

According to Michel, the Angolan company will create employment for Malians during the venture, and provide the Malian Authority of Oil Research (AUREP) with US$ 250,000 a year during the period of exploration and US$ 300,000 a year during the period of exploitation.

The Angolan company also promised to invest 21 billion CFA francs during the four years of research works on block 1A and 25 billion CFA francs for block 1B.


source: Pana
...

UAE to invest in Malian mining industry
07/11/2011

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Mali, the third African gold producer behind South Africa and Ghana, with a production of 50 tons per year, plans to build a gold refinery to be financed to the tune of US$29 million by the UAE fund.

The President of the Malian Chamber of Mines, Abdoulaye Pona, who made the announcement, said the refinery would be built in Senou (south of Bamako) on a 6-hectare site, which will also host mining industry-integrated workshops not only for cutting gems, but also manufacturing high-end jewelry.

The site will also host a modern certification laboratory, while an agreement is being finalised between the Chamber of Mines and UAE investors, in Bamako, for the establishment of a private investment bank interested in financing miners, owners of small mines as well as promoters of projects relating to this sector.

Mali’s gold mining sector is worth between US$300 and US$450 million annually.


source: Pana
...

Algeria eyes investment in northern Mali
2011-11-08

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Algerian energy giant Sonatrach will launch its operations in the Malian section of the Taoudeni basin by mid-2012

NOUAKCHOTT- As part of efforts to boost relations with Mali, the Algerian government has unveiled a new investment plan targeting the country’s northern regions.

The area has "been among Mali’s poorest in terms of development throughout the long years since independence", according to regional expert Sid Ahmed Ould Abdel Kader.

"This has led to the appearance of many rebel movements and attempts by local populations to secede from the central government under the pretext of negligence of development," he added.

The announcement came after a visit by Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré to Algeria in late October. Algerian state energy company Sonatrach will launch its operations in the Malian section of the Taoudeni basin by mid-2012, company CEO Nordine Cherouati said.

The task, however, is compounded by mounting security challenges, including "the return of Touareg fighters and heightened threats by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)", as well as Libya weapons circulation, according to journalist Abdoullah Tchvagha Elmoctar.

"It would be illogical that Algeria venture to invest in the less secure part of the basin, which links Mali, Algeria and Mauritania, without having first established a plan to deal with these challenges," he added.

According to regional analyst Hammadi Ag Ali, the security concerns are exaggerated.

"These are unjustified fears because Touaregs in the end are a group of people who have specific demands, some of which are related to a desire to secede, while others are related to demands for more development," he explained. "If we assume that the group demanding separation is dominating the scene, then there must be some sort of a rear support after the fall of Kadhafi. That support will certainly be the Algerian state."

"Algeria will venture to invest its money in the Taoudeni basin only after it gets guarantees from the actors in that area, who are primarily the Touaregs," he continued. "As for al-Qaeda, their threat will decrease as Touaregs’ influence increases because the latter will tighten the noose on them if they threaten their interests."

Mali and Algeria have had a history of tense relations due to "the growing influence of Islamist militants in the Sahel-Saharan region", according to economic expert Yacoub Moustafa.

"Algeria has repeatedly accused Bamako of being too lenient on the fighters who collected millions of dollars from kidnapping foreigners and demanding ransoms, and who were also launching attacks on regional security forces," he added. "However, the security co-operation between Mali and Mauritania in the recent confrontations with al-Qaeda, as well as the start of Mali’s campaign against extremism in its northern areas through development programmes, made Algeria look differently at Mali."

According to Moustafa, Algeria has had a long-standing interest in working with its southern neighbour. "Sonatrach signed an agreement to explore oil in Mali in 2007, but it hasn’t made any progress in the Taoudeni basin where militants, some of who are linked to al-Qaeda, are active due to Mali’s weak control on those areas and internal corruption," he said.

The geo-strategic and rich Taoudeni basin represents an important area in the border triangle between Mauritania, Algeria and Mali, as well as a promising land in terms of oil and gas exploration opportunities, said Mokhtar Salem, an expert on Salafist ideology.

Algeria and Mali have not yet unveiled their plans to ensure security in exploration operations. Meanwhile, Mauritania has deployed scores of military units on its side of the basin.


source: Magharebia
...