Niger has recently signed a major agreement to supply 150 million liters of diesel to its neighbor Mali. This partnership was finalized on Tuesday and aims to support Mali’s national energy company, Énergie du Mali (EDM-SA), which has been grappling with frequent power outages.

Mali has been experiencing regular power cuts due to EDM-SA’s financial struggles. The company is heavily in debt and has found it difficult to provide a reliable power supply to both the capital, Bamako, and other cities. Under the new deal, Niger will sell diesel to Mali at a significantly reduced rate, nearly 50% lower than the market price. This is expected to bring some relief to the power crisis in Mali.

The agreement was signed between Mali’s junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goïta, and Niger’s oil minister, Mahaman Moustapha Barke. It represents an important step in strengthening ties between the two nations while addressing Mali’s urgent energy needs.

In recent years, Niger has become a growing energy player in the region. Last November, Niger inaugurated a pipeline that will transport crude oil to Benin. This pipeline is part of a broader strategy to increase the country’s oil production and exports. The oil extracted for the pipeline will be managed by the China National Petroleum Corporation, a state-owned enterprise from China.

In February, Niger took further steps to boost its energy partnerships by signing a memorandum of understanding to supply diesel not only to Mali but also to Burkina Faso and Chad, as part of the Alliance of Sahel States. Niger plans to increase its oil production to 110,000 barrels per day, of which 90,000 barrels will be exported to regional partners.

This move signals Niger’s ambition to expand its role in the regional energy market, providing much-needed resources to neighboring countries facing similar energy shortages while boosting its own economic standing in the process.