Mali Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in mali, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government
 

Mali has a program-based budgeting system intended to improve governance of public funds. Mali has adopted numerous multi-year projects and initiatives aiming to rebuild the army and security forces, providing bidding opportunities to military equipment companies such as dealers of aircraft, vehicles, helmets, bulletproof vests, firearms, uniforms, and accessories, although some sales may be subject to certain restrictions under Section 7008 of the U.S Foreign Appropriations Act and under the Child Soldiers Protection Act. Mali allocates 8.5 percent of its national budget to development of the agricultural sector, creating opportunities for products such as tractors, fertilizers, or seeds. Many social welfare projects, including the construction of affordable housing units, are ongoing. The General Directorate for Public Procurements and Public Service Delegation (DGMP-DSP) declared that 6,662 procurements were concluded in 2024, totaling more than $1.3 billion. These procurements exclude sensitive military purchases. They were mainly funded by the national budget (78.6 percent), external financing (19.4 percent), or joint funding (two percent). In total, 90 percent of public procurements were concluded through an invitation to a tender, 5.5 percent through limited tender, and 4.6 percent through mutual agreements. DGMP-DSP provides information on its website about current government plans for tenders, laws related to public tenders, and results of invitations to tenders. For more information, visit the DGMP-DSP’s website at https://www.dgmp.gouv.ml/

U.S. companies bidding on foreign government tenders may also qualify for U.S. Government advocacy. Within the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. Government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters in competition with foreign firms in foreign government projects or procurement opportunities. The Advocacy Center works closely with our network of the U.S. Commercial Service worldwide and inter-agency partners to ensure that exporters of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of winning government contracts. Advocacy assistance can take many forms but often involves the U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government agency officials expressing support for the U.S. exporters directly to the foreign government. Consult the Advocacy Center’s program web page on trade.gov for additional information.

Financing of Projects

Foreign donors and multilateral development banks fund most infrastructure projects. U.S. firms can bid on projects funded by multilateral development banks and other donors. Mali often takes advantage of the diversity of donors to implement large infrastructure projects funded through long-term loan contracts with non-traditional donors like China, India, or the Islamic Development Bank. Traditional donors’ contributions decreased following the coups as many donors halted financing initiatives. In April, the IMF resumed its financing to Mali through the approval of $129 million disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility for Mali. The World Bank’s portfolio of projects exceeds $1 billion. The Islamic Development Bank has 53 active projects in Mali. The European Union, African Development Bank, and the West African Bank for Development (Banque Ouest africaine de Développement - BOAD) are involved in infrastructure project financing.  Mali benefited from debt relief in the 2000s, which has allowed it to receive additional loans for development projects.

Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales

Price, payment terms, and financing can be a significant factor in winning a government contract. Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB). The Guide to Doing Business with Multilateral Development Banks overviews how to work with MDBs. The International Trade Administration (ITA) has a Foreign Commercial Service Officer stationed at each of the five different Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs):  the African Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the World Bank.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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