Русский
Russian truckmaker KAMAZ has signed a contract reportedly worth about US$51.5 million to supply vehicles to Mali, as the landlocked West African country seeks to strengthen its transport network and secure essential supplies.
The deal with the Malian Transport and Logistics Company (SMTL-SA) was signed in Bamako on Wednesday (October 7) at a ceremony attended by Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou and Transport Minister Dembele Madina Sissoko. Malian broadcaster Kati24 put the value at over 30 billion CFA francs in the local currency.
The partnership between KAMAZ and Mali’s transport and logistics company includes plans for technology transfer and possibly local vehicle assembly. KAMAZ said the contract falls under an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Mali and aims to expand the country’s capacity to transport food and industrial goods. KAMAZ stated that “In addition to the equipment supply, vehicle repair and maintenance workshops will be established in Mali’s capital, and the possibility of assembling trucks in the country is under discussion.”
According to the statement, the parties also discussed spare parts, technology transfer, and training Malian technicians in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan. KAMAZ did not specify vehicle numbers, models or delivery dates.
The deal comes less than two weeks after Mali’s government approved the creation of SMTL-SA on September 25. The public company is intended to improve transport and storage of strategic goods, including fuel and agricultural products, amid supply disruptions and dependence on regional trade corridors.
KAMAZ already has a supply history in Mali, which Russian state-owned industrial conglomerate Rostec listed among the truckmaker’s African markets in 2023.
KAMAZ has also supplied vehicles to other African countries, including Senegal, which KAMAZ described as one of its important export markets. It supplied 167 vehicles to the country, mainly KAMAZ-5460 tractor units for transporting containers from the port of Dakar and trained Senegalese drivers and mechanics in 2021.
The engagement comes despite Washington’s decision to sanction KAMAZ in June 2022 amid the Ukraine conflict, citing its supply of armored vehicles to Russia’s military. Mali has also accused the Ukrainian government of terrorism following the reported use of Ukrainian equipment and mercenaries in Mali’s own conflicts in the Sahel region of Africa.
The latest agreement adds to Mali’s growing economic ties with Russia in recent years as part of efforts by the transitional authorities of the Sahel nation to assert control over strategic industries. In June 2025, Mali launched construction of a gold refinery with Russia’s Yadran to boost national revenues through domestic gold processing, with the Malian state holding a 62% stake. The refinery project followed disputes with Western mining companies, including Canada’s Barrick and Australia’s Resolute Mining, over alleged unpaid taxes and the implementation of a new mining code aimed at increasing state revenues and ownership.
