Mali - Country Profile - indoafrican.org

Country Profile - MALI

General Information

Area: 1,240,192 sq km (478,841 sq miles).

Population: 11,351,000 (2000).

Population Density: 9.2 per sq km.

Capital: Bamako. Population: 838,315 (1998).

GEOGRAPHY: Mali is a landlocked republic, sharing borders with Mauritania, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger and Senegal. It is a vast land of flat plains fed by two major rivers, the Senegal on its western edge and the great River Niger. On its journey north the Niger converges with the River Bani, and forms a rich inland delta, the marshlands of the Macina, stretching for some 450km (280 miles) along the river’s length, in some places 200km (124 miles) wide. The central part of the country is arid grazing land, called the Sahel, which has suffered great drought. At Timbuktu, the Niger reaches the desert and here it turns first to the east, then to the southeast at Bourem, where it heads for the ocean. In the desert, near the Algerian and Niger borders in the northeast, the Adrar des Iforas massif rises 800m (2625ft). The north of the country is true desert except for the few oases along the ancient trans-Saharan camel routes. Tuaregs still live around these oases and camel routes. Further south live the Peulh cattle-raising nomads. The majority of the population lives in the savannah region in the south. The peoples of this region comprise Songhai, Malinke, Senoufou, Dogon and the Bambara (the largest ethnic group).

Government: Republic. Gained independence from France in 1960. Head of State: President Amadou Toumani Toure since June 2002. Head of Government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Ag Hamani since 2002.

Language: The official language is French. There are a number of local languages.

Religion: Muslim (80 per cent), with Animist (18 per cent) and Christian (1.2 per cent) minorities.

Time: GMT.

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz in Bamako. Larger towns in Mali have their own locally-generated supply.

Communications:

Telephone: Limited IDD service. Country code: 223. Outgoing international calls must be made via the international operator. These are expensive and collect calls cannot be made from Mali.

Mobile telephone: GSM 900 network exists. Operators include Malitel-SA (website: www.malitel.com).

Internet: Main ISPs include private companies Cefib (website: www.cefib.com), Datatech website: www.datatech.toolnet.org) and Spider (website: www.spider.toolnet.org). There is an Internet cafe in Bamako.

Post: International post is limited to main towns and the central post office. Airmail to Europe takes approximately 2 weeks. For further details, contact the Embassy.

Press: There are no English-language newspapers. The other dailies, including Les Echos, L’Essor (website: www.essor.gov.ml), Info Matin and Le Républicain, are published in French.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

Passport/Visa

Passport Required? Visa Required? Return Ticket Required?
British Yes Yes Yes
Australian Yes Yes Yes
Canadian Yes Yes Yes
USA Yes Yes Yes
OtherEU Yes Yes Yes
Japanese Yes Yes Yes

PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least 6 months from date of entry required by all except nationals of Algeria, Andorra, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia in possession of a valid ID card.

VISAS: Required by all except the following for stays of up to 3 months:

(a) nationals of the countries referred to under passport exemptions above;

(b) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft within 24 hours provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.

Types of visa and cost: Tourist, Business and Transit: single entry: US$80 (3 months); multiple entry: US$110 (3 months); US$200 (6 months); US$370 (1 year).

Validity: 1 month from the date of entry, although visas can be extended in Mali, either in Bamako at the Immigration Service or at any police station. Visas may be obtained up to 3 months in advance of travelling to Mali.

Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section.

Application requirements: Tourist: (a) Valid passport. (b) Two application forms (must be completed in block capitals and returned to the consulate with several photocopies of the form). (c) Two passport-size photos. (d) Stamped, self-addressed envelope for postal applications (which must be sent by registered post). (e) Fee; payable in cash, company cheque or postal order (personal cheques are not accepted). (f) Copy of airline itinerary or flight ticket(s). (g) Yellow fever certificate, if travelling from an infected area. Business: (a)-(g) and, (h) Letter of invitation from company, stating purpose of trip. Transit: (a)-(g) and, (h) Copies of onward tickets and destinations and copies of certified hotel reservation statements.

Working days required: 5. Visas can be issued more quickly for an additional fee of US$10.

Temporary residence: Enquire at Embassy.

Money

Currency: CFA (Communauté Financiaire Africaine) Franc (CFAfr) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of CFAfr10,000, 5000, 2500, 1000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of CFAfr250, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5. Mali is part of the French Monetary Area. Only currency issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bank of West African States) is valid; currency issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (Bank of Central African States) is not. The CFA Franc is tied to the Euro.

Currency exchange: Possible at main banks in Bamako, but this can be a slow process and exchange rates are often out of date.

Credit & debit cards: Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted in two hotels in Bamako. Cash advances on credit cards are available at only one bank in Mali, the BMCD Bank in Bamako, and only with a Visa credit card. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Can be exchanged at banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars or Euros.

Currency restrictions: The import and export of local currency is unlimited. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited provided amounts exceeding CFAfr25,000 are declared.

Exchange rate indicators: The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the CFA Franc against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Aug ’03 Nov ’03 Feb ’04 May '04
$1.00= 938.15 957.53 961.13 983.76
£1.00= 573.92 564.26 528.01 550.79

Banking hours: Mon-Thurs 0730-1200 and 1315-1500, Fri 0730-1230.

Duty Free

Duty-Free: The following items may be imported into Mali without incurring customs duty:
1000 cigarettes or 250 cigars or 2kg of tobacco; a reasonable amount of alcoholic beverage; a reasonable amount of perfume (already opened) for personal use.

Note: (a) Cameras and films must be declared. An import permit is needed for sporting guns. Plants, except fruit and vegetables, need a certificate. (b) Authorisation from the National Museum in Bamako must be obtained when exporting certain Malian archaeological objects, particularly those from the Niger River Valley.

Public Holidays

Public Holidays: Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 20 Armed Forces Day. Feb 2 Tabaski (Feast of the Sacrifice). Mar 26 Day of Democracy. Apr 12 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. May 2 Mawloud (Prophet’s Birthday). May 25 Africa Day. Sep 22 Independence Day. Nov 14-16 Korité (End of Ramadan). Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2005 New Year’s Day. Jan 20 Armed Forces Day. Jan 21 Tabaski (Feast of the Sacrifice). Mar 26 Day of Democracy. Mar 28 Easter Monday. Apr 21 Mawloud (Prophet’s Birthday). May 1 Labour Day. May 25 Africa Day. Sep 22 Independence Day. Nov 3-5 Korité (End of Ramadan). Dec 25 Christmas Day.

Note: Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Korité (Eid al-Fitr), Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Korité itself. Korité and Tabaski (Eid al-Adha) may last anything from 2 to 10 days, depending on the region. For more information, see the World of Islam appendix.

Public Holidays

Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required?
Yellow Fever Yes 1
Cholera Yes 2
Typhoid and Polio 3 N/A
Malaria 4 N/A

1: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required by all travellers over 1 year of age arriving from all countries.

2: Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is not a condition of entry to Mali. However, cholera is a serious risk in this country and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination, as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness. See the Health appendix for further information.

3: Typhoid is widespread and appropriate precautions should be taken. Polio is endemic.

4: Malaria, mainly in the malignant falciparum form, is present all year throughout the country. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported.

Food & drink: All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised, but make sure that it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water; swimming pools which are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. The following health risks have been reported from the area: many viral diseases (transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies), meningococcal meningitis (particularly in the savannah areas and during the dry season), dysenteries, diarrhoeal diseases, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, B and E (all widespread) and trachoma.

Rabies is also present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.

Health care: Medical facilities are very limited and inadequate for dealing with emergencies. Health insurance (including adequate medical evacuation) is therefore essential. Many medicines are unavailable, and doctors and hospitals expect immediate cash payment for health care services.

Travel – International

Note: All travel to the north of Timbuktu, the western border area with Mauritania, and the eastern border with Niger is advised against.

AIR: Mali’s national airline is Air Mali (L9). Mali also has a share in the multinational airline, Air Afrique (RK). Airlines operating between Mali and Europe include Aeroflot and Air France. Air Afrique also operates flights between Mali and New York via Dakar (Senegal) or Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). There are three weekly flights between Mali and Niger.

Approximate flight times: From Bamako to London is 11 hours (including stopover in Brussels or Paris).

International airports: Bamako (BKO) is 15km (9 miles) from the city (travel time – 20 minutes). A bus service into the city is available.

Departure tax: CFAfr10,000; for destinations in Africa CFAfr8000. Children under 2 years are exempt.

RAIL: There is a twice-weekly service from Bamako to Dakar (Senegal) which has air conditioning, sleeper facilities and restaurant cars (travel time – 35 hours). It will also carry cars. There are also plans to extend rail links into Guinea.

ROAD: The best road connections are from Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. There are also road links with Senegal, Guinea, Niger and Mauritania. The all-weather road follows the Niger as far as Niamey (Niger). Travel via the Algerian border is currently considered dangerous and not recommended. Bus: Services operate from Kankan (Guinea) to Bamako, as well as from Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) to Ségou and Mopti, and Niamey (Niger) to Gao. From Côte d’Ivoire, there are three buses per week (travel time – at least 36 hours). From Niger, the national bus line SNTN operates three weekly buses to Mali.

Travel – Internal

AIR: Some domestic flights are provided by Air Mali. Light aircraft can also be chartered from the Société des Transports Aériens (STA).

Departure tax: CFAfr2500.

RIVER: Between July and December, there are weekly services between Bamako and Gao via Timbuktu along the River Niger. However, because of drought in the Sahel desert, services are sometimes suspended. The journey is approximately 1300km (800 miles) and takes 5 or 6 days. Between December and March, travel is only possible between Mopti and Gao. Food is available on the boats and first-class cabins can be booked in advance. Motorised and non-motorised pirogues and pinasses (types of river boat) are available for hire between Timbuktu and Mopti. Since the completion of the Manantali Dam in 1988, work has continued to improve the navigability of the River Senegal.

RAIL: There is a daily service from Bamako to Kayes, en route to Dakar on the Senegal coast. There are two trains, one Malian and one Senegalese – the Senegalese train is far superior, with air conditioning and buffet car. The railway line is Mali’s most important method of transport, over and above the road link. There is also a daily service from Bamako to Koulikoro.

ROAD: Traffic drives on the right. Roads in Mali range from moderate to very bad. The main road runs from Sikasso in the south to Bamako, and to Mopti and Gao. The roads from Bamako to Mopti, Douentza, Koutiala, Sikasso and Bougouni, along with a few other roads, are paved. Between Mopti and Gao travel can be difficult during the rainy season (mid-June to mid-September) when the Niger, at its confluence with the Bani, splits into a network of channels, and floods its banks to form the marshlands of the Macina. Stops at customs and police checkpoints are frequent on major roads and driving is particularly hazardous after dark. Bus: Services run between the main towns. Documentation: International Driving Permit recommended, although not legally required. Insurance and a carnet de passage are also needed.

Note: Visitors are advised to keep to the main roads, otherwise they should travel in convoy. Caution should be exercised when travelling at night. Visitors should be aware of the recent violent incidents which have occurred in northern Mali and the Mauritanian border.

URBAN: Taxi: Collective taxis in cities are very cheap. The taxis charge a standard fare regardless of the distance travelled. Tipping is not expected.

Accommodation

HOTELS: Only Bamako has hotels that meet international standards, but other main towns have hotels of an adequate standard and some have air conditioning. Accommodation tends to be expensive and difficult to obtain at short notice – advance booking is recommended. Further information can be obtained from the Office Malien du Tourisme et de l’Hôtellerie (see Contact Addresses section).

LODGES: There are a number of campements in the National Park of La Boucle du Baoule. The reserve is 120km (75 miles) from Bamako.

Sport & Activities

Trekking: A good area for trekking is the Bandiagara escarpment in the Dogon country, with Bandiagara, Bankass and Mopti being the main starting points for trekking trips. Guides are available and recommended; travellers should check that guides have an official identification card.

Social Profile

Food & Drink: Several of the hotels have restaurant and bar facilities of international standard, serving international cuisine, and most towns have small restaurants serving local and north African dishes. Hotel restaurants are open to non-residents. A particular Malian speciality is La Capitaine Sangha, a kind of Nile perch served with hot chilli sauce, whole fried bananas and rice. There is a limited choice of restaurants.

Alcohol is available in bars (with very late opening hours), but since the majority is Muslim, there is a good range of fresh fruit juices. Most people tend to drink fruit juice rather than alcohol. Malian tamarind and guava juices are delicious. A traditional drink is Malian tea which should be drunk in three stages; the first is very strong (‘as bitter as death’); the second is slightly sweetened (‘just like life’); the third is well sugared (‘as sweet as love’). Visitors to Mali may be invited to partake in this tea ritual.

Nightlife: Bamako has a good selection of nightclubs with music and dancing.

Shopping: Traditional crafts range from the striking masks of the Bambara, Dogon and Malinko peoples, to woodcarvings, original designs in ebony and bronze, woven cloth, and mats, gold and silver jewellery and copperware. Excellent pottery is made in the Ségou region, while Timbuktu is a good centre for iron and copper articles, including swords, daggers and traditional household utensils.

Special Events: The following is a selection of special events celebrated annually in Mali:
Feb 2 Tabaski, nationwide. Apr Fête des Masques. May 2 Mawloud (Prophet’s Birthday), nationwide. Nov 14-16 Korité (End of Ramadan), nationwide. Dec Crossing of the Cattle, Diafarabé.

Social Conventions: Malians are hospitable people and will welcome visitors gracefully into their homes. Visitors must remember that this is a Muslim country and the religious customs and beliefs of the people should be respected. Modesty in dress, particularly for women, is essential. Photography: This is no longer restricted, except for military subjects. However, interpretation of what is considered off limits tends to vary. Other subjects may be considered sensitive from a cultural or religious point of view and it is advisable to obtain permission before taking photographs in Mali. Tipping: A 10 per cent tip is customary in restaurants and bars, but is not normal for taxi drivers. Porters receive CFAfr100 per piece of luggage.

Business Profile

Economy: Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world with an average per capita annual income of about US$200. The economy is almost entirely agricultural even though less than 2 per cent of the land is cultivable. Livestock and subsistence crops such as millet, sorghum, maize and rice are raised for domestic consumption. The main cash crop is cotton, of which Mali is one of Africa’s largest producers and exporters, along with groundnuts, fruit and vegetables. The Malian cotton industry, upon which one-third of the population depend for their livelihood, is in serious difficulty because of exceptionally low world prices, caused in part by subsidies provided to cotton growers in the industrialised world (in 2003, this has been the subject of a major dispute at the World Trade Organisation). Local manufacturing has grown steadily, albeit from a very low level, and is mostly concerned with the processing of agricultural produce: food, drinks and tobacco are the main products. Construction materials are also produced locally. There is a small but fast-growing mining sector centred on Mali’s recently discovered gold deposits. Mali is now the third largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa and Ghana, and the growth in this sector largely accounts for the country’s rapid 2002 growth rate of 9 per cent. Marble, salt and phosphates are also being exploited; there are also known reserves of iron ore and uranium. Much of the economy has been privatised and deregulated since 1997 under the supervision of the IMF with which Mali presently enjoys good relations. Mali has also been one of the main beneficiaries of the debt cancellation for the poorest countries, and it continues to rely on foreign aid and remittances from émigrés. France is Mali’s major trading partner, providing a quarter of imports and taking a similar proportion of exports, followed by Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Germany and Switzerland. Mali is a member of ECOWAS and various other West African multinational economic organisations.

Business: The forms of address are those of France, eg Monsieur le Directeur. Lightweight or tropical suit and tie are advised for only the smartest meetings. Otherwise, a light, open-neck shirt is worn. It is essential to be able to speak French for business purposes. Office hours: Mon-Thurs 0730-1230 and 1300-1600, Fri 0730-1230 and 1430-1730.

Commercial Information: The following organisation can offer advice: Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie du Mali, BP 46, place de la Liberté, Bamako (tel: 222 5036 or 222 9645; fax: 222 2120).

Conferences/Conventions: Information can be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Protocol Section), Kounoulba, Bamako (tel: 225 489; fax: 228 559 or 225 226).

Climate

Climate: Three main seasons which vary according to latitude. Rainy season runs between June and October, diminishing further north. The cooler season (October to February) is followed by extremely hot, dry weather until June.

Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens are worn throughout most of the year, though warmer clothing is needed between November and February. Waterproofing is advised during the rainy season.