The agreement was finalized during a meeting between Mali’s junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goïta, and Niger’s oil minister, Mahaman Moustapha Barke. The diesel will be supplied to Energie du Mali (EDM-SA), the national energy company.
EDM-SA, burdened by debt exceeding 200 billion CFA francs (around €300 million), has been unable to consistently provide electricity to the capital and other Malian towns. This lack of reliable power has understandably frustrated the nearly 11 million Malians with access to electricity, roughly half the population.
This partnership comes on the heels of a February agreement where Niger committed to supplying diesel to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Chad – all countries facing poverty and under military rule. These three nations are part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which recently announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Niger’s recent oil pipeline inauguration, transporting crude oil to neighboring Benin, further strengthens its position as a regional energy player. Additionally, a $400 million loan secured from China in April serves as an advance on future crude oil sales, expected to begin in May. Niger aims to ramp up oil production to 110,000 barrels per day, with 90,000 slated for export.
AFP/fss/abj/APA