Mali is nestled between 7 other countries providing a strategic advantage for inter- and intra-African trade.
Ports facilitating Mali’s trade
As the third-largest landlocked country in Africa, and the second-largest country in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after Niger, planned infrastructure projects offer significant potential for Mali’s future:
- The Trans-Sahelian highway linking Bamako and Senegal
- Roads to the ports of Dakar and Conakry
- A rail link between Mali and Nigeria
- River ports in Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania, which will open the country via the Senegal River
Transport links are imperative for the logistical requirements of trading with emphasis on routes to ports for global maritime.
These 3 ports carry the most significance for Mali:
- Abidjan in Ivory Coast
- Tema in Ghana
- Dakar in Sénégal
The choice of importation and exportation corridors allows Mali to be connected to ports within logistical proximity.
Abidjan – Bamako Corridor
The Abidjan – Bamako corridor
The Port of Abidjan is the second most important port in Africa, after the Port of Durban in South Africa, handling 25% of imports to Bamako.
In 2012, a study conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) found that 201km of the Abidjan corridor was in good condition, 826km was in fair condition and 211km was under construction.
In 2008, 33% of Mali’s international trade passed through the Ivory Coast.
Tema – Bamako Corridor
The Tema – Bamako corridor
Ghana’s corridor is usually considered to be the best option; the port of Tema is equipped with scanners, which significantly help to reduce repetitive and expensive administrative delays during customs checks.
The roads from Tema to Bamako (through Ouagadougou) are in good condition which allows a travel time of 12 days to drive the 1,977 km (1228 miles) that separates Bamako from Tema.
Dakar – Bamako corridor
The Dakar-Bamako corridor
Despite the road’s bad condition, the second busiest transit corridor in West Africa carries an average of 700 trucks per day from Dakar to Bamako.
There is a railway line between Dakar and Bamako that forms part of the Dakar-Niger Railway, transporting around 95% of Mali’s cotton to Dakar Port.
The Vallis’ footprint in West Africa
Vallis has recently conducted road surveys in Senegal to assess the feasibility of transportation routes for logistical planning.
This operation complements our full scope of assurance services for visibility, supervision, and control of your interests as a key stakeholder for trade in this region.
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