Rabat – Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, held extensive virtual talks today with her Malian counterpart Mariam Tangara Doumbia.
The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation to address climate and environmental challenges, advancing joint projects based on solidarity, knowledge transfer, and regional integration.
During the meeting, Minister Benali emphasized that under the guidance of King Mohammed VI, Morocco places its relationship with the rest of Africa at the heart of its strategic priorities. She highlighted Morocco’s commitment to a new generation of South-South partnerships centered on efficiency, solidarity, and tangible results.
Benali also shed light on Morocco’s initiatives to promote sustainable development in the region, such as the Royal Atlantic Initiative for the Sahel countries and Mali’s active participation in the Sahel Climate Committee, which serves as a crucial platform for regional climate coordination.
The Moroccan minister stressed the importance of practical discussions to activate bilateral cooperation, especially in areas of expertise sharing, technology transfer, capacity building, and innovative climate adaptation solutions. She commended Mali’s strong commitment to environmental and sustainable development issues, recalling past coordinated efforts, including close cooperation during Morocco’s presidency of the UN Environment Assembly.
For her part, Minister Tangara Doumbia lauded Morocco’s leadership in energy transition, climate financing, and environmental policy governance, recognizing the country’s expertise in supporting environmental projects across Africa.
She also expressed Mali’s keen interest in benefiting from Morocco’s experience in renewable energy, waste valorization, and the enhancement of training and capacity-building systems.
Tangara Doumbia outlined several pressing challenges facing Mali, notably the energy crisis, solid waste management, water pollution caused by unregulated mining, and rapid degradation of agricultural lands. She emphasized the need for innovative and integrated approaches involving environmental transformation projects and circular economy solutions, particularly converting waste into energy and organic fertilizers to support sustainable agriculture.
In response, Minister Benali expressed Morocco’s readiness to share its expertise with Mali in these fields and expressed the desire to deepen cooperation in agricultural research, sustainable land management, and the use of renewable energy in agriculture.
She pointed to the key role of the OCP Group, through its academic branch with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and its R&D subsidiary InnoVx, in driving research and innovation related to sustainable agriculture and soil management, including desert soils.
Both sides agreed on the urgency of accelerating technical discussions between their ministerial teams to establish a cooperation framework on these priorities, aiming to sign an agreement as soon as possible.
They also pledged to launch joint field projects focused on waste valorization, climate adaptation, and circular economy development, reaffirming their shared commitment to building a sustainable environmental future anchored in climate sovereignty.
