(Ecofin Agency) - • Second phase of Mali’s PNIP targets unfinished goals from the 2012 launch
• Funding expected from government, partners, agri-businesses, and communities
• Just 52% of initial irrigation target reached; vast potential remains untapped

Mali, like many other Sahel countries, views irrigation as critical to reducing agriculture’s vulnerability to drought. The advancement of irrigation systems is a stated government priority.

To implement the second phase of its National Local Irrigation Program (PNIP), the Malian government aims to mobilize 333.3 billion CFA francs ($573.4 million) between 2025 and 2034. The plan was announced during a Council of Ministers meeting on May 21.

Authorities said the funding will be sourced from the state budget, agricultural enterprises, local communities, and technical and financial partners. While specific intervention areas have not yet been disclosed, the second phase is expected to continue work left unfinished from the program’s first phase.

“Since its adoption in 2012, the PNIP has only managed to develop and equip 66,031 hectares out of its target of 126,000 hectares, achieving a 52.4% completion rate,” the Council’s statement noted.

Planned activities include the development of lowland areas, controlled submersion zones along major rivers, small village irrigation plots and market gardens, small dams, flood-dependent systems in lakes and ponds, and water retention structures in wadis and oases across the country.

The PNIP’s second phase also supports Mali’s recent commitments made during the “Dakar+10 Forum,” which emphasized scaling up irrigation to reduce drought-related risks in agriculture.

Official data indicates that Mali has 2.2 million hectares of arable land suitable for irrigation, with over 1.8 million hectares located in the Niger River valley. According to FAO data, only 380,000 hectares were equipped for irrigation as of 2022.