Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides RMB 1.134 billion government concessional loan for Mali Digital 2020 Project

¥1.13M RMB

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Mali
Country	Mali
Start Date	Sep 28, 2018
End Date	Oct 16, 2027
Duration	3,305 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`58588`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides RMB 1.134 billion government concessional loan for Mali Digital 2020 Project On September 28, 2018, the Government of Mali and China Eximbank signed an RMB 1.134 billion (XOF 93,790,872,000 or $171,652,822.80) government concessional loan (GCL) agreement for the Mali Digital 2020 Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity19.4999 years

⏳ Grace Period6.9999 years

💹 Interest Rate1.9999%

The borrower was expected to use the proceeds of the GCL to finance a commercial contract between the Government of Mali and China International Telecommunications Construction Corporation (CITCC).

The purpose of the project is to lay 817.4 km of intercity fiber optic cable, install twelve OSN 3500 type terminals, install a a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) urban network with 100 km of fiber optic cable, and install about 50 GPON terminals to interconnect the government institutions.

More specifically, the project involves laying fiber optic cables to connecting the cities of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu to the city of Mopti; laying fiber optic cable along the Gao-Ansongo-Labbezanga-Nigerian border route; laying fiber optic cable along the Kidal-Algerian border route; laying fiber optic cable along the Bamako-Kourémalé-Guinean border route; laying fiber optic cable along the Sevaré – Koro-Burkina Faso border route; establishing a surveillance network made up of 200 cameras and 50 LTE sites; establishing an internal secure communications network for the government; and establishing an electronic identification card system.

CITCC is the contractor responsible for project implementation.

In February 2019, Ambassador Zhu Liying visited the construction site and had a discussion with the head of the project team. It is unclear if the project is on track for its 2020 completion date.

📋 Staff Comments

A report from the French Economic Ministry records the face value of the loan as EUR 141.8 million.
The French project title is Projet Mali Numerique 2020. The Chinese project title is 数字马里项目.
On November 15, 2018, Malian members of parliament adopted a draft law authorizing ratification of the loan agreement.
One source indicates that the 817.4 km of fiber optic cable consists of the 420 km Mopti-Gao route, the 199 km Mopti-Koro-Bi route, and the 198 km Gao-Labezanga route.
According to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS), the weighted average maturity of all official sector lending from Chinese creditors to government and government-guaranteed borrowing institutions in Mali was 19.4999-years in 2018. AidData estimates the maturity of the China Eximbank loan that supported the Mali Digital 2020 Project by using this figure. See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cujt9ufun0n79texgwmdr/February-2025-IDS-Extraction-Mali-s-Official-Sector-and-Private-Sector-PRC-Borrowings-and-Borrowing-Terms.xlsx?rlkey=51bkgjbp345u3409irrbpt8mm&dl=0 6. According to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS), the weighted average grace period of all official sector lending from Chinese creditors to government and government-guaranteed borrowing institutions in Mali was 6.9999-years in 2018. AidData estimates the grace period of the China Eximbank loan that supported the Mali Digital 2020 Project by using this figure. See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cujt9ufun0n79texgwmdr/February-2025-IDS-Extraction-Mali-s-Official-Sector-and-Private-Sector-PRC-Borrowings-and-Borrowing-Terms.xlsx?rlkey=51bkgjbp345u3409irrbpt8mm&dl=0 6. According to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS), the weighted average interest rate of all official sector lending from Chinese creditors to government and government-guaranteed borrowing institutions in Mali was 1.9999% in 2018. AidData estimates the interest rate of the China Eximbank loan that supported the Mali Digital 2020 Project by using this figure. See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cujt9ufun0n79texgwmdr/February-2025-IDS-Extraction-Mali-s-Official-Sector-and-Private-Sector-PRC-Borrowings-and-Borrowing-Terms.xlsx?rlkey=51bkgjbp345u3409irrbpt8mm&dl=07. According to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS), the aggregate monetary value of official sector lending from Chinese creditors to government and government-guaranteed borrowing institutions in Mali was $171,652,822.80 in 2018. See https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cujt9ufun0n79texgwmdr/February-2025-IDS-Extraction-Mali-s-Official-Sector-and-Private-Sector-PRC-Borrowings-and-Borrowing-Terms.xlsx?rlkey=51bkgjbp345u3409irrbpt8mm&dl=08. This record has been marked as having evidence of financial distress because it was part of the debt restructuring agreement captured in record #95488.

📚 Sources & References

Objectif_Afrique_N136_30-novembre.pdf
Zhu Liying
Ambassador of Mali, went to the 'Digital Mali' project team to inspect
Mali: National assembly authorizes government to borrow XOF93 billion for 'Mali digital 2020', 2ND SESSION OF THE JOINT COMMISSION FOR ECONOMIC
COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF MALI AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
African IT and BPO Market Report_20201109_02
Mali to get CFA 93 bln loan from China for Digital 2020 programme
Chinese bank grants 93 billion CFAF loan to fund Mali digital project
DRS Official Commitments from China through 2020
China's Overseas Development Finance
SAIS-CARI Loans China
PROJET MALI NUMÉRIQUE
MALI NUMERIQUE 2020: Stratégie Nationale de Développement de l’Economie Numérique
ATELIER REGIONAL SUR LE COMMERCE ELECTRONIQUE
Financement du Projet Mali Numérique : Ratification de l’accord de prêt non concessionnel entre le Mali et la Banque import-export de Chine par le parlement
Financement de Mali numérique 2020 : Le ministre Touré acquiert à l’unanimité le quitus des députés !
Financement Projet Mali numérique : Adoption des projets de texte relatifs à la ratification de l’Accord de prêt
Financement Projet Mali numérique : Adoption des projets de texte relatifs à la ratification de l’Accord de prêt
FINANCEMENT PROJET MALI NUMÉRIQUE : ADOPTION DES PROJETS DE TEXTE RELATIFS À LA RATIFICATION DE L’ACCORD DE PRÊT
驻马里大使朱立英赴“数字马里”项目组视察
Mali Evaluation rapide de l'état de préparation au commerce électronique Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.