In an exclusive interview with The News-Letter, His Excellency Tiéna Coulibaly, the Malian ambassador to the U.S., discussed the changing political landscape in his country and the importance of his diplomatic role in Mali’s economic development.
Coulibaly was sworn in as ambassador on Nov. 18, 2014. He received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in agricultural economics at Laval University and Purdue University, respectively. After returning to Mali, Coulibaly worked continuously in the agricultural sector and was eventually appointed the Minister of Finance.
Coulibaly believes that his biggest job is to secure U.S. political and economic assistance.
“When people speak about relations between two countries, you always say that you should manage them to be mutually beneficial to both countries,” he said. “But everybody knows that when there are relations between one of the poorest countries in the world and the richest country in the world, then the benefit is really just one sided. It is from the U.S. to my country.”
Currently, Mali is a member of the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), a White House coalition, and G5-Sahel, a regional bloc, which aim to improve security and development in African countries. The U.S. also supports healthcare programs to fight malaria and HIV in Mali, but Coulibaly feels like more can be done.
“My job is to try to not only find the best way to implement the actual projects we have now, but also continue to have more,” he said. “We recognize the efforts this country is doing. Although we feel very grateful to the American people, the job is not done. So we keep asking for more because we know that this country is full of resources and that this country is full of generous people.”
Coulibaly notes that while Mali has received economic aid in the past through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Congressional agencies such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), he is trying to reach out to the private sector in the U.S. for additional financial support.
“The private sector here in the U.S. is full of money and my country needs investment,” he said.
Coulibaly sees the current political climate and sporadic terrorist attacks in Mali as an obstacle against private investment.
Mali has been marred by conflict since January 2012, when armed conflict over the homeland for the Tuareg people broke out between the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), backed by the Islamic group Ansar Dine, and the Malian government for the independence of Azawad in northern Mali.
President Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d’état due to poor handling of the crisis in March 2012. In his place, a group of rebel soldiers took control, leading to Mali’s northern cities being overrun by rebels.
By April 2012, the MNLA proclaimed Azawad’s independence from Mali. Following infighting with Ansar Dine, the MNLA lost most of Azawad to Islamist control by July 2012.
The French military entered the conflict on the side of the Malian government against the Islamists while a peace treaty was signed between the Malian government and the Tuareg separatists in June 2016. The MNLA pulled out of the deal in September. Irregular terrorist attacks continue, despite a ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015.
According to Coulibaly, these recent events have led U.S. entrepreneurs to stray away from involvement in Mali.
“There still are, every once in awhile, attacks all over in Mali. And because of that American businessmen are somehow frightened to go to Mali, but it is my job to always try to convince them to go and fit them with very well organized projects to go to,” he said.
Coulibaly aims to secure foreign private investments during his term as ambassador.
“There are many fields of investment. The most important of which are in agro-industry, that is, industrial things into agriculture, but also in the mining sector.,” he said. “I have not obtained many purchases yet because of the insecurity in Mali, which the businessmen here are afraid of, but I keep hoping that that situation will be solved pretty soon and that before the end of my term I will have some investments done.”
Coulibaly outlined a specific example by which Mali could use American economic aid.
“During the French colonization there was an area in Mali called Office du Niger which has a potential of one million extra [arable land] and up to today, out of about a million hectares we don’t have more than one hundred hectares which are irrigated,” he said. “All the remainder of the potential is still left out. This part of the country cannot only produce enough food for all the Malians but also for all West Africa. So we really wish the U.S. would help us to explore that potential.”
Other than its great agricultural potential, Coulibaly points out that Mali is the third largest producer of gold in Africa and that the country has the largest cattle herds in West Africa. According to Coulibaly, foreign investment could transform such industries into strong international export businesses.
Coulibaly has worked to restructure the country’s cotton industry, cotton being one of Mali’s main exports. Having worked in the cotton industry in the past, Coulibaly assesses that Mali is currently the second largest cotton producer in the world after Egypt.
Coulibaly believes that it would be better for the Malian economy to utilize this abundant supply of cotton to establish thread or clothing industries, rather than export it raw. This would create jobs and spur economic growth.
Unemployment rates in Mali are incredibly high, especially amongst the young and educated. More than 100,000 Malian young adults who have finished high school up to the college level do not have jobs.
“Today if you go to Mali, you cannot speak with two or three heads of households without one of them telling you, ‘Well, my kids have finished school and they are just sitting at home, not having anything to do,’” Coulibaly said.
Coulibaly emphasized that Mali is a country of rich history and culture. As the Mali Ambassador to the United States, Coulibaly believes his ultimate goal is to promote Mali’s various traits to America.
“Mali is on the way to peace and for that to be total we need everybody’s help, and I really wish to convince them that everybody should engage himself, or herself, to help Mali,” he said. “Mali has both big history, big culture and of course, Mali has great music and good and very nice people. The Malians are the friendliest people in the whole of West Africa.”
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