Publication: Mali Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective
Date
2011-06
ISSN
Published
2011-06
Author(s)
Briceno-Garmendia, Cecilia M
Dominguez, Carolina
Pushak, Nataliya
Abstract
In recent years Mali's economy has
grown steadily at a rate of more than 5 percent per year,
driven by developments in gold mining, cereal harvests, and
telecommunications. Mali's landlocked condition,
together with its very uneven distribution of both
population and economic activities between the arid north
and the much richer south, challenge the country's
ability to sustain this pace of growth. These two aspects
define and challenge Mali's development and the
infrastructure agendas. The country's strategic focus
on the regional agenda has paid off to date, and critical
institutional decisions are bringing many positive
developments. More than 80 percent of Mali's segments
of the West Africa road corridors are maintained in good or
fair condition, giving the principal production areas of the
south alternative access to the deep-water ports of Dakar,
Adidjan, Takoradi, Tema, and Lome. Air transport security
has improved, supported by the refurbishment of local
airports, including Bamako airport, and the restructuring of
Mali's Civil Aviation Authority to increase its
autonomy and guarantee harmonization of air transportation
rules across West Africa. Mali has also successfully
liberalized its mobile telephone markets, with access
approaching 40 percent in 2008. Roaming agreements and cross
country competition have kept mobile prices low. Access to
electricity in Mali more than doubled in the last decade,
helped by the introduction of an apparently successful
program for rural electrification (AMADER) that widened
access to more than 36,000 rural households.
Citation
“Briceno-Garmendia, Cecilia M; Dominguez, Carolina; Pushak, Nataliya. 2011. Mali Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective. Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic
(AICD) country report;. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27311 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”