Boureima Cissé, Permanent Secretary of ITIE-Mali.
At a time when Mali is seeking to better translate its extractive revenues into tangible benefits for its territories, the question is no longer limited to amounts collected: it also concerns their redistribution, their use, and their real impact. Boureima Cissé, Permanent Secretary of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Mali (ITIE-Mali), discusses the institution’s role, the scope of the five mining funds, the monitoring of social payments, and the accountability mechanisms needed to ensure that communities can effectively benefit from the wealth derived from the subsoil.
Interview by Baba Sakho
POINT FOCUS: What is ITIE-Mali’s approach to local and community development in the national context of extractive industries, in light of its missions and the 2023 EITI Standard?
BOUREIMA CISSÉ: ITIE-Mali’s approach to local and community development is not about directly financing or implementing development projects. In accordance with the 2023 EITI Standard, its role is to strengthen transparency, accountability, and multi-stakeholder dialogue so that revenues and social obligations from the exploitation of natural resources effectively contribute to community development.
This approach is based first on the transparency of resources allocated to local development. ITIE-Mali ensures the publication of reliable information on mining and oil revenues collected by the State, revenue transfers to local authorities where they exist, mandatory or voluntary social expenditures made by extractive companies, as well as local development financing mechanisms provided for by national legislation. This transparency allows communities to know the resources generated by extractive activities and to better monitor their use.
The 2023 EITI Standard notably strengthens requirements related to social and environmental expenditures. ITIE-Mali also relies on a dialogue framework bringing together the State, extractive companies, and civil society organizations. This dialogue helps identify difficulties related to the management of extractive revenues, formulate recommendations, and monitor their implementation to improve public policies in favor of communities.
Local development depends above all on good governance. ITIE-Mali contributes to improving transparency in the granting of mining titles, promoting contract disclosure, strengthening knowledge of beneficial owners, improving the quality of financial data, and reducing corruption risks. More transparent governance promotes better redistribution of benefits from natural resources to the territories concerned.
One of the major contributions of the EITI Standard is to produce data useful to citizens and to place communities at the heart of public debate. In Mali, this translates into the organization of ITIE report dissemination workshops, awareness campaigns in mining areas, the involvement of local authorities, and the participation of civil society organizations in dialogue on extractive governance. The objective is for communities to have information enabling them to hold public authorities and companies accountable.
ITIE-Mali also encourages consideration of the economic, social, environmental, and governance dimensions of sustainable development. The 2023 EITI Standard places increased importance on the environmental impacts of extractive activities, environmental expenditures, risks related to the energy transition, and gender equality in natural resource governance.
Finally, ITIE-Mali’s action is complementary to the Mining Code, local content provisions, decentralization, mining revenue redistribution mechanisms, and national sustainable development policies. ITIE therefore does not substitute for the State or local authorities; it provides the information and dialogue framework necessary to improve the effectiveness of public policies.
In summary, local development is not an ITIE investment mission, but an objective pursued through transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and improved governance of extractive resources. By providing reliable information on revenues, transfers, social expenditures, and companies’ obligations, ITIE-Mali contributes to creating the conditions for more inclusive, more equitable, and more sustainable local development, in accordance with the principles of the 2023 EITI Standard.
P.F.: The Malian government has established five mining funds, including the Local Development Mining Fund. Do you believe that these funds constitute, in principle, an essential lever for strengthening the real impact of the extractive industry on people’s lives?
B.M.: Yes, in principle, the five mining funds established by the Malian government constitute an important lever for strengthening the impact of the extractive sector on economic and social development.
The Malian government has chosen to establish several mining funds to better distribute the benefits of natural resource exploitation. This approach reflects a desire to transform mineral wealth into sustainable development opportunities, particularly for local authorities and communities affected by extractive activities.
In principle, these funds are a relevant instrument. They can contribute to financing basic infrastructure, improving access to essential social services, supporting local economic activities, protecting the environment, and strengthening community resilience. The Local Development Mining Fund (FMDL), in particular, responds to the objective of directly benefiting communities from the benefits of mining. In 2025, the FMDL mobilized more than 18 billion CFA francs, distributed among all of Mali’s local authorities.
P.F.: ITIE-Mali has published its latest report on the 2024 fiscal year. It shows that social payments, which include voluntary and mandatory contributions from mining companies to community development, totaled 2.8 billion CFA francs, representing less than 1% of the sector’s contribution to State budget revenues. What is your analysis of this figure?
B.M.: The figure of 2.8 billion CFA francs in social payments, as published in the ITIE-Mali 2024 Report, must be interpreted in its context. The fact that it represents less than 1% of budget revenues from the extractive sector does not necessarily mean that mining companies are contributing little to local development. It reflects above all the nature of social payments, which constitute a specific category of contributions, distinct from taxes, duties, royalties, and other levies paid to the State.
Budget revenues from the extractive sector primarily feed the national budget and finance public policies as a whole. Social payments, on the other hand, are intended to meet targeted needs of communities in mining areas through investments in areas such as education, health, water access, infrastructure, and support for income-generating activities.
This figure nevertheless highlights several issues. First, it invites reflection on the relative weight of social investments compared to the economic importance of the extractive sector. Second, it underscores the importance of strengthening monitoring of the implementation of companies’ social commitments and evaluating the real impact of these expenditures on population living conditions. Finally, it reminds us that communities’ expectations often go beyond companies’ voluntary or mandatory contributions and also concern how public revenues from natural resources are redistributed and used.
For ITIE-Mali, the main issue is therefore less the absolute amount of social payments than their transparency, traceability, and effectiveness. The publication of this data allows citizens, local authorities, public authorities, and companies to have a factual basis to assess efforts made, identify possible shortcomings, and promote constructive dialogue on improving the benefits of the extractive sector.
Ultimately, the 2.8 billion CFA francs constitute a useful indicator, but they should not be analyzed in isolation. The real impact of the extractive industry on local development depends on a set of factors: companies’ social investments, the functioning of mechanisms such as the Local Development Mining Fund, the quality of public revenue management, as well as the transparency and accountability of all actors. This analysis is consistent with the spirit of the 2023 EITI Standard, which encourages not only the publication of social payments (Requirement 6.1), but also a better understanding of their contribution to sustainable development, without assimilating these payments to the entire economic and fiscal contribution of the extractive sector.
P.F.: The law on local content and community development pursue a common objective: ensuring that natural resources benefit the national economy and communities more. How do these two mechanisms articulate with each other? Do local subcontractors and suppliers also have a responsibility in community development?
B.M.: Community development primarily aims to improve the living conditions of populations in mining areas, notably through social investments, infrastructure, access to basic services, and mechanisms such as the Local Development Mining Fund. In contrast, local content policy seeks to maximize the economic benefits of extractive activity by promoting national employment, the use of Malian companies, skills development, technology transfer, and the creation of a local industrial fabric.
The link between the two is obvious: a well-implemented local content policy directly contributes to community development. When a mining company prioritizes local suppliers, recruits national labor, or supports the development of Malian SMEs, it generates income, creates jobs, and stimulates economic activity in the territories concerned. These effects have a lasting impact that complements traditional social investments.
Regarding subcontractors and local suppliers, their primary responsibility is to comply with the obligations provided for by law, their contracts, and applicable standards. Legislation places the main community development obligations on mining title holders, who remain responsible for their commitments to the State and communities.
However, subcontracting companies and local suppliers can also play an important role in the development of the territories where they operate. Even when there is no specific legal obligation requiring them to finance community projects, they are encouraged to adopt responsible practices: local recruitment, youth training, respect for environmental and social standards, use of local suppliers, support for community initiatives, and dialogue with stakeholders. These actions strengthen the social acceptability of projects and contribute to local economic development.
Within the framework of the 2023 EITI Standard, the progressive integration of information relating to local content in the ITIE-Mali 2025 Report will constitute an important step forward. It will provide more comprehensive data on the economic benefits of extractive industries, beyond fiscal payments and social expenditures, and assess the extent to which local content policies effectively contribute to job creation, the development of national enterprises, and the strengthening of local economies.
Ultimately, local content and community development must be considered as two complementary pillars of the same ambition: transforming extractive wealth into sustainable opportunities for Malian populations. Transparency of information, monitoring of commitments, and dialogue between the State, companies, local authorities, and civil society will be decisive in measuring progress and strengthening the impact of the extractive sector on the country’s development.
P.F.: Based on EITI’s experience around the world, what are the most effective accountability mechanisms to ensure that funds allocated to community development are used effectively and in accordance with the needs expressed by local populations?
B.M.: International experience shows that the effectiveness of community development funds depends not only on the amounts mobilized, but above all on the quality of governance and accountability mechanisms that frame their management. Transparency, citizen participation, and oversight are essential conditions for these resources to produce tangible results for the benefit of populations.
Through lessons learned from EITI-implementing countries, several mechanisms appear to be particularly effective:
First, transparency of resources and expenditures is fundamental. Populations must be able to know the amounts paid, their origin, allocation criteria, projects financed, companies responsible for their implementation, and the progress of work. This transparency reduces the risk of mismanagement and promotes informed citizen oversight.
Second, the effective participation of communities is indispensable. Development projects must be identified based on priorities expressed by the populations themselves, involving local authorities, traditional authorities, civil society organizations, women, and youth. This participatory approach improves the relevance of investments and strengthens their ownership by beneficiaries.
Third, the establishment of multi-stakeholder governance bodies is a good practice. Management committees bringing together the State, local authorities, extractive companies, civil society, and community representatives help strengthen transparency in decision-making and project monitoring.
Fourth, a robust monitoring, evaluation, and audit system is essential. Administrative controls, independent audits, periodic results evaluations, and the publication of reports make it possible to verify that resources are effectively used in accordance with the set objectives and produce the expected effects.
Finally, new technologies today offer significant possibilities for strengthening transparency. The publication of open data, the use of digital platforms for project monitoring, and the mapping of community investments facilitate access to information and strengthen citizen oversight.
For ITIE-Mali, these mechanisms are fully in line with the principles of the 2023 EITI Standard, which encourages the disclosure of useful information, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and the strengthening of public accountability. ITIE does not aim to manage or directly control community development funds, but it contributes to creating an environment where information is accessible, responsibilities are clearly established, and stakeholders have the necessary elements to demand accountability.
Ultimately, the best guarantee of effective use of community development funds lies in the combination of five principles: transparency, participation, accountability, independent oversight, and results evaluation. When these principles are combined, resources from the extractive sector are more likely to meet the real needs of communities and sustainably contribute to local development.
P.F.: Does ITIE-Mali evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of community development projects (health, education, water, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.) on the ground? If so, what indicators are used?
B.M.: To date, ITIE-Mali does not have a mandate to directly evaluate the effectiveness or sustainability of community development projects on the ground. Its primary mission is to promote transparency and accountability in the governance of extractive resources, notably through the publication of reliable information on sector revenues, social payments, transfers to local authorities, and other financial flows provided for by the EITI Standard.
However, the data published by ITIE constitute an essential starting point for oversight institutions, local authorities, civil society organizations, technical and financial partners, and researchers wishing to evaluate the real impact of community investments. ITIE thus helps answer a fundamental first question: what resources have been mobilized, by whom, for the benefit of which communities, and for what types of interventions?
With the evolution of the 2023 EITI Standard and the growing importance of issues related to sustainable development, local content, and social expenditures, ITIE-Mali could progressively enrich its analysis by further relating the published financial data with information on project implementation. Without substituting for evaluation bodies, this approach would improve understanding of the concrete benefits of the extractive sector for populations.
P.F.: What are the main challenges faced by ITIE-Mali in ensuring optimal transparency and accountability in Mali’s extractive sector, and what solutions are being considered to address them?
B.M.: ITIE-Mali has made significant progress in transparency of extractive resource governance. ITIE reports now provide reliable information on sector revenues, payments made by companies, revenues received by the State, as well as several aspects of mining and oil governance. However, like many resource-rich countries, Mali faces several challenges that require continued efforts from all stakeholders.
The first challenge concerns the systematic disclosure of information. The 2023 EITI Standard encourages countries to progressively integrate disclosures into regular public administration systems, so that data is continuously available and not only upon publication of EITI reports. This transition is a priority for strengthening transparency.
The second challenge concerns the understanding and use of data. Producing information is an essential step, but this information must also be accessible, understandable, and used by citizens, local authorities, parliamentarians, the media, and civil society organizations to inform public debate and strengthen accountability.
The third challenge lies in the transparency of new governance issues. The 2023 EITI Standard places greater emphasis on topics such as beneficial ownership of companies, contracts, environmental impacts, social expenditures, local content, the energy transition, and the governance of state-owned enterprises. The progressive integration of these dimensions represents a major undertaking for Mali.
To address these challenges, ITIE-Mali, with the support of the government and its partners, is pursuing several strategic orientations:
- strengthening the digitalization of data collection and publication systems;
- supporting the implementation of 2023 EITI Standard requirements, particularly regarding systematic disclosure, local content, social expenditures, and environmental transparency;
- continuing capacity-building actions for public administrations, companies, local authorities, and civil society organizations;
- intensifying dissemination activities of ITIE reports in the regions to bring information closer to citizens;
- promoting permanent multi-stakeholder dialogue between the State, companies, and civil society to seek concerted solutions to governance challenges.
P.F.: According to the ITIE-Mali 2024 Report, the Treasury transferred approximately 10 billion CFA francs to local authorities in royalties. How does ITIE-Mali evaluate this redistribution of resources from mining? Does it directly benefit populations?
B.M.: The ITIE-Mali 2024 Report indeed indicates that the Treasury transferred approximately 10 billion CFA francs to local authorities in royalties. This information is important because it helps make more transparent a mechanism for redistributing revenues from mining to the territories where extractive activities are carried out.
From ITIE-Mali’s perspective, this redistribution is a positive signal. It reflects the implementation of legal provisions relating to the sharing of certain revenues with local authorities and contributes to strengthening financial decentralization. Local authorities thus have additional resources to finance public services and investments that meet the needs of populations.
However, the publication of the amount transferred does not, by itself, allow concluding that populations directly or fully benefit from it. Between the transfer of resources and the effective improvement of citizens’ living conditions, several steps are involved: budget programming, prioritization, expenditure execution, quality of completed works, their maintenance, and their impact on beneficiaries.
This is precisely where transparency and accountability take on their full meaning. The information published by ITIE allows citizens, local authorities, oversight bodies, and civil society to verify that the planned transfers have indeed been made. However, the evaluation of the use of these resources and their impacts falls primarily to local authorities, State oversight services, audit institutions, and national public finance monitoring mechanisms.
The challenge is therefore to complement transparency of transfers with transparency of fund use. Populations must be able to know not only the amount received by their local authority, but also how these resources were budgeted, which projects were financed, and what results were achieved.
Ultimately, the 10 billion CFA francs transferred to local authorities constitute an important step forward in the redistribution of mining revenues. However, the true indicator of success is not merely the amount transferred, but the ability of these resources to be transformed into quality infrastructure, improved public services, and economic opportunities that sustainably benefit populations. It is this logic of transparency, accountability, and governance improvement that ITIE-Mali promotes, in complement to the missions of other competent institutions.
Interview by Baba Sakho
