Africa needs investments in the energy sector, including green, which will guarantee the provision of electricity to the rapidly growing population of the continent, Malian Energy and Water Resources Minister Bintou Camara said at the REW.
According to her, Africa has a huge energy potential, and it needs to be realized. The minister added that under these circumstances, Mali is interested in cooperation with Russia.
"In African countries, the experience of Russia in the construction of power plants and the use of wind solar energy is well known. We [Mali and Russia] are developing contacts, various meetings are being held, there were contacts with Rosatom [the Russian state nuclear corporation] and a number of protocols were signed between my country and Russia," Kamara said during the session "Russia – Africa: Prospects for cooperation in the field of energy."
Moreover, she noted that only 5% of the Malian population use electricity, and the country is very dependent on imports of hydrocarbons.
"We have recently seen an increase in energy consumption, but, unfortunately, we do not have enough capacity. That is why we are interested in cooperation with Russian enterprises," the minister added.
Earlier, addressing the REW-2023, President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia built about 350 hydroelectric facilities in 54 countries, including in Africa.