Mali and Guinea have strengthened their logistics and transport cooperation following the adoption of a new decree by Mali’s Council of Ministers authorizing the free transfer of a 10-hectare land reserve to Guinea.
The decision, approved on Wednesday, January 28, is aimed at supporting the development of storage and transport infrastructure connected to Mali’s use of the port of Conakry.
The move falls within the framework of existing bilateral agreements on maritime and road transport and transit between both countries. These agreements grant Mali official usage rights at the Guinean port, including access to dedicated port areas and preferential treatment for the handling of import and export cargo.
In a reciprocal arrangement, Guinea has already allocated 20 hectares of land in Kankan for the establishment of Malian warehouses, further consolidating the logistics corridor between Bamako and Conakry.
Mali’s government is seeking to diversify its supply routes and reduce its reliance on traditional transit corridors through the ports of Dakar in Senegal and Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. These efforts intensified after supply chain disruptions caused by ECOWAS sanctions imposed following the military’s seizure of power, which weakened trade flows along Mali’s usual routes.
Despite diversification efforts, the port of Dakar remains Mali’s primary gateway. In 2024, Dakar handled about 2.6 million tonnes of Malian transit cargo out of a total port traffic volume of 24.5 million tonnes, according to official figures.
However, the Guinean corridor is not without challenges. The effectiveness of the Conakry–Bamako route will depend on the condition of road infrastructure, the efficiency of customs clearance processes, security along inland transport routes, and the port of Conakry’s capacity to absorb additional cargo volumes without congestion.
Operational coordination among government agencies, transport operators, and logistics service providers will also be critical to the corridor’s success.
These factors are expected to determine whether the Conakry route evolves from a strategic diplomatic option into a sustainable commercial alternative for Mali.
