Malian Prime Minister General Abdoulaye Maïga invited stakeholders from the private sector on Wednesday for the fifth monthly consultation meeting.
The objective was to strengthen the effectiveness of economic policies by meeting the immediate needs of the population and laying the foundations for coherent structural reforms.
The discourse provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress of the current action plan and to submit a series of proposals deemed a priority by economic operators. Among these was the suspension of the value-added tax applied to the import of 100,000 tons of rice.
This measure, which may be renewed if necessary, responds to the urgent need to anticipate the impact of the predicted floods on harvests.
Mali recorded a cereal production of 11 million tons in 2024, a 6% increase compared to the previous year, according to figures published by Agridigitale.
This increase, while positive, remains fragile given the climatic and logistical hazards that regularly disrupt food supplies.
Another area of focus is the expected revision of price structures for consumer goods such as rice, oil, cottonseed meal, and cement. The government is aiming for a reduction of at least 10% of indicative prices to contain pressures on household food supplies.
Annual inflation, estimated at 4.9% in 2024, justifies the urgent need to act on available levers to preserve purchasing power.
Participants also emphasised the need to ensure the fluidity of supply chains. The schedule calls for securing local grain harvesting and distribution operations before the end of February 2025. This
mobilisation is part of a stated desire to end frequent obstacles to transport corridors, particularly towards neighbouring member states of the Alliance of Sahel States.
The now regular dialogue between the government and the private sector has already led to the adoption of a short-term action plan and the strengthening of the consideration of economic concerns in ministerial decisions. A broader project, dedicated to fundamental reforms of the
national economy, is currently being developed with the support of all stakeholders.
The country’s gross domestic product is estimated at $20.9 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank, with growth of 4.4% over the year.
Public debt, meanwhile, represents approximately 55.7% of GDP, a level that remains contained despite limited fiscal space.
The Minister of Commerce, Moussa Alassane Diallo said the transparency of the process
and listening to economic operators are the pillars of a shared future.
MD/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA