Restoring confidence, supporting a strong and resilient country’s impetus toward recovery
The agricultural sector is of paramount importance to Mali's economy. It employs around 80% of the working population and accounts for 40% of the country's GDP (including livestock and fisheries). While considered to have great untapped resources, Mali’s agricultural potential remains largely unexploited because of, amongst other things, economic, technological, institutional and political constraints. One of the key challenges of this sector is to open it up to, and invest in, new agricultural activities.
This plenary session will focus on the following aspects:
The challenges of food self-sufficiency and processing make agricultural diversification one of Mali's priorities. During this workshop, private players actively involved in these issues, will present their experiences and ideas.
Role and place of mixed crop-livestock farming systems in Mali, major industrial projects, niche sectors such as gum arabic, wheat, oilseeds, ostrich farming, poultry farming: Mali is undergoing the start of an agricultural revolution driven by key investments in agribusiness in all regions of the country. This workshop will be a platform for interaction between industry players, SMEs and innovative start-ups, in the heart of Mali, a sub-regional breadbasket.
FDI plays a major role in job creation and is an important instrument of the government of Mali's strategy as part of its investment promotion and private sector recovery policy. However, investor concerns about the macroeconomic framework for securing investments remains a constraint, despite it being sound and incentive-based.
Despite having had the most extensive industrial apparatus in Francophone West Africa in the 1960s, the lack of long-term efforts has slowed Mali's industrial development. Yet, the country’s harmonious economic development depends on the combination of rural activities, the primary sector and industry, the latter adding value to the former. If it wants to succeed in achieving growth along with integrated and inclusive development, Mali has no choice but to invest in its industries.
This plenary session will focus on the following aspects:
Agribusiness is one of Mali’s largest economic sectors. From farm to table, the sector value chain has to be better structured and expanded, driven by the desire to promote local consumption.
There is huge potential in Mali’s livestock farming, which ensures a large and sustainable production of meat. Countless opportunities exist for the private sector: beef, sheep and swine fattening, setting up and privatisation of slaughterhouses, marketing of livestock and meat (butchers), establishment of meat preservation and processing plants (drying, canning) and by-product processing plants (bone powder, blood meal) for feeding livestock, poultry, fish and as fertiliser.
Compliments of the President of the Republic, at the Koulouba Palace, by invitation
Private partnerships comprise an average of 12% to 17% of West Africa's projects and are emerging as a substantive option in the overall driver to close the infrastructure gap. On the one hand, PPPs allow for greater flexibility of public budgets and, on the other, help to optimise public projects by adopting private management best practices, especially in terms of quality improvement. Law No. 2016-061 of 30 December 2016 on Public-Private Partnerships has given Mali the legal, institutional and technical arsenal necessary to secure and step-up PPP investments and projects.
This plenary session will focus on the following aspects:
Mali could become an energy superpower. With very high levels of sunshine, enormous biomass resources and huge hydropower potential, it is imperative that the country succeeds in attracting key – and often large – investment.
Bamako’s strong population growth requires that public action be transformed in order to respond to it, as this growth is a source of economic opportunities for the private sector in terms of mobility, connectivity, urban intelligence, and sanitation.
Most of Mali’s energy supply comes from biomass (78%), which thus represents the primary source of energy for the majority of the population, while fossil fuels contribute 21% and hydropower 1% (excluding electricity trade). Mali, with its vast and unexplored renewable energy potential, could become a real African energy giant.
This plenary session will focus on the following aspects:
Mali is served by around ten international airlines and has a large road network. However, the potential for transport infrastructure remains to be exploited for this real hub in the heart of the WAEMU zone and Africa. Investments in transport infrastructure will foster the development of sectors such as tourism, commerce, and agriculture, etc. throughout all regions of Mali.
The global start-up revolution hasn’t bypassed Mali. Digital and innovation offer young people a window of economic, social and political emancipation with infinite possibilities. Incubators are being created, support structures are flourishing, and co-working spaces are springing up, expanding the horizons of a passionate generation that believes its time is now. This young generation, to invent the Mali of tomorrow and make it a start-up nation, is simply asking for agility, support and financing. Are you ready for Mali 2.0?
This plenary session will focus on the following aspects:
