Russia and the Republic of Mali have held the inaugural session of their Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade and Economic Cooperation in Bamako. The meeting took place during an official Russian delegation visit led by Sergei Tsivilev, Russia’s Minister of Energy and co-chair of the commission, to the Alliance of Sahel States, Russia’s Energy Ministry reported.
“We quickly agreed to set up the commission and today successfully held its first session in Mali’s capital. This is the first commission of its kind among Sahel countries, and we intend for it to serve as a model for other member states,” Tsivilev emphasized.
The decision to establish the IGC was made during the visit of Mali’s transitional president, Assimi Goïta, to Moscow in June 2025.
During the session, the two sides discussed cooperation in areas including energy (such as development of nuclear, hydro and renewable power), the extraction and processing of mineral resources, space technology and cybersecurity, agriculture, and logistics infrastructure both in Mali and across the Sahel Alliance.
A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of an agreement for Russian experts to develop a “thermal map” of Mali’s mineral deposits. The commission also set up a seventh committee, focused on health protection and sanitary-epidemiological wellbeing; previously, six working groups had already been formed.
Tsivilev also noted the growing number of Malian students in Russia: over the past two years, their numbers have risen from 32 to 290. The first meeting of the working group on science and education is scheduled for late August in a hybrid format.
At the close of the visit, the IGC co-chairs issued a joint statement underscoring the importance of energy justice for African countries.
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Based on TASS materials