Russian truckmaker signs major deal with Mali

The partnership between KAMAZ and the African nation’s transport and logistics company includes plans for technology transfer and possible local vehicle assembly Russian truckmaker KAMAZ has signed a contract reportedly worth about $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 at a ceremony attended by Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou and Transport Minister Dembele Madina Sissoko.

Malian broadcaster Kati24 put its value at above 30 billion CFA francs.

In a press release on Thursday, 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.

“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,” the company stated.

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.

READ MORE: Russia donates ambulance fleet to African country 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.

The company 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.

Read more Who decides what Africa is worth? 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.

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.