• Mali is preparing to activate its long-dormant sovereign investment fund.

• The country is drawing on Burkina Faso’s experience to guide the process.

• A delegation from Burkina Faso will share its model at a business event in Bamako this May.

Mali announced it is working to launch its sovereign investment fund, with plans to include an investment branch. To guide the process, the country has turned to Burkina Faso, which already operates a similar structure.

The announcement came during a meeting of industry and trade ministers from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Ouagadougou on April 14. During the event, business leaders from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger also signed cooperation agreements.

Sidi Dagnoko, third vice president of Mali’s national employers’ council, invited Balibié Serge Auguste Bayala, head of Burkina Faso’s sovereign investment fund, to speak at Mali’s upcoming business forum in May 2025. Bayala will present Burkina Faso’s model for financing development through its Deposits and Investment Fund (CDI-BF).

“The CDI-BF is a valuable example for us,” Dagnoko said. “Within the AES, we must share our tools and strategies to build economic independence.”

A Long-Delayed Reform

Mali’s Sovereign Investment Fund (CDCM) was legally created in 1963, but it has never been operational. In October 2024, the government adopted a new law defining its structure and functions. The plan now is to follow Burkina Faso’s model closely.

Until now, some of the fund’s roles were handled by Mali’s central treasury office, which lacked the full legal and financial capacity to manage large-scale investments.

The CDCM will be tasked with collecting, securing, and managing funds from both public and private sources. These funds will be directed toward projects of public interest, such as infrastructure, small businesses, and local governments.

In Burkina Faso, the fund plays a key role in national development. It supports public policy through strategic investments, manages state-held or confiscated gold, and helps restructure struggling entities.

Chamberline Moko