Mali: Energy sovereignty, priorities and challenges at the 8th AER Board of Directors meeting
During the 8th Board of Directors meeting of the Renewable Energy Agency of Mali (AER-Mali) held on March 21, 2024, chaired by Deputy Director of Energy Adama Yoro, representing the Chairman of the Board, several key agenda items were discussed.
These included reviewing the minutes of the previous session, presenting the status of implementation of 2023 recommendations, examining and adopting the activity report, evaluating the budget execution status from December 2023, and reviewing and approving the action plan and budget project for 2024.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Director of Energy Adama Yoro Sidibé emphasized the complexity of the current situation, especially the unprecedented energy challenge facing Mali.
He stressed the importance for the country to achieve energy sovereignty by harnessing its available energy resources, particularly by developing its potential in renewable energies.
Mr. Sidibé also highlighted the government’s efforts to accelerate the energy transition, notably through the adoption of Law 2020-009 on May 11, 2020, creating a conducive environment for investments in renewable energies in Mali.
He also mentioned other ongoing initiatives, such as a new strategy aiming to achieve 25% of renewable energy production by 20236, excluding large hydroelectric power plants.
Regarding the agency’s activities, the Board representative provided a positive assessment of the previous year, noting a budget execution rate of 95.02% for 2023, with a budget of 282,479,035 FCFA.
For 2024, the agency has a projected budget of 783,267,008 FCFA, which Mr. Sidibé deemed modest considering the agency’s ambitions.
Titi KEITA
