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With ECOWAS sanctions against Mali, Bamako has been deprived of its two major exit ports, Dakar and Abidjan. At the request of the CMDT, the public company that manages the cotton sector, exports were possible via Guinea, and also thanks to a new transit corridor in Mauritanian territory.
The project had been in the works for years. It took the introduction in January of ECOWAS sanctions against Bamako to speed up the process. Unable to export Malian cotton via Dakar, Sogeco, a subsidiary of Bolloré, is relocating part of its teams to Nouakchott. And in a few weeks, once the official procedures for border crossings and customs have been settled, the first bales of cotton are evacuated.
« We did a first test in this period which was a bit specific and crucial for our Malian friends, explains Sid’Ahmed Abeidna, CEO of Sogeco, a subsidiary of the Bolloré group. So we tried to push this project to term. »
How much cotton has been evacuated and will be by the end of the year? ” We have a project of 30 000 tons. If we manage to make between 20,000 and 25 000 tons, it will already be a very good thing “, he assures.
The volumes transported remain limited, but this corridor has enabled Malian exporters to continue, at the very least, their activity in a very complicated period, as Boubacar Salia Daou, CEO of Millenium Mali, says.
« At the time of the crisis, Mauritania and Guinea were a breath of fresh air. Because when the cotton is not marked, the Malian Company for the textile development (CMDT) is not paid, we, the traders, are not paid “, specifies the CEO.
The Corridor of Hope
Since July, ECOWAS sanctions have been lifted, evacuations have resumed via traditional ports, but the road of hope continues and should continue next year to receive Malian cotton. An alternative which however has its limits, explains the trader.
« For the moment, they cannot meet the CMDT’s request because the CMDT has made more than 700 000 tonnes of seed cotton and Mauritania cannot cope as well as Guinea. They do not have the infrastructure capable of handling these quantities. »
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Permanent alternative or occasional emergency exit in the event of a problem? Mauritania has a role to play on the regional chessboard, explains Sid’Ahmed Abeidna, who wants to be reassuring on the issues of logistical capacities.
« There are developments on the coasts of Mauritania. There is a new port, the port of Ndiago located a little further south which can also help relieve congestion during a period when the port of Nouakchott will necessarily need development. “, hopes the director of Sogeco.
And if cotton flows dry up, minerals could take over. Malian manganese is now circulating on this new Mauritanian corridor.