The two countries are committed to giving a new impetus to bilateral cooperation.The Malian Prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, ended on Tuesday, January 3, a visit to Brazil where he attended the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, two days earlier. He was accompanied by a strong delegation composed of the head of Malian diplomacy, Abdoulaye Diop, the Minister of Rural Development, Modibo Keita, as well as other civilian and military personalities.

During the ceremony, the Prime Minister represented the President of the Transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta. Mali was one of the few African countries to have sent a high-level delegation to the inauguration of the new Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During the audience that the latter granted to the Malian head of government, the opportunity was taken to discuss the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the areas of security, agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

In the area of security, it should be noted that the fleet of the Malian Air Force includes “Super Tucano” light attack aircraft manufactured by the Brazilian company “Embraer”.

With regard to livestock and fisheries, at the end of March 2022, under the Jair Bolsonaro administration (2019-2023), the two countries signed two agreements aimed at increasing the production and productivity of quality beef in the peri-urban area of Bamako and in the Kayes region, as well as fish production in the peri-urban area of the capital, in Koulikoro and in Selingué.

The total budget allocated by Brazil to these two conventions is 1,490,000,000 CFA francs for livestock and 735,000,000 CFA francs for fish farming.

The livestock sub-sector contributes 19% to Mali’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is the third largest contributor to export earnings after gold and cotton. As for the fisheries sub-sector, according to the Ministry of Rural Development, ‘it employs 7.2% of the Malian population and contributes 4.2% to the GDP’.

As for agriculture, Brazil and Mali are among the largest cotton producers in the world. In this regard, both countries were participating in an International Labour Organisation (ILO) project aimed at contributing to the promotion of decent work in cotton producing countries. Mali adapted and implemented Brazilian experiences in two areas: strengthening labour inspection and combating child labour.

For the Malian Prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maïga, one of the major concerns of the Malian authorities is the food security of its citizens, stating that his country must no longer depend on “imports, which are massive and put a heavy burden on the State’s tax revenues.”

According to him, “Mali and Brazil have a long-standing cooperation, multiform support that should be renewed and deepened in the specific areas of agriculture and livestock.”

Mali is also interested in Brazil, which is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, hoping to make its voice more audible.

South America’s largest state is also one of the five members of the BRICS, a group of five countries that have been meeting in annual summits since 2011: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.