A press release from the Malian Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that the World Bank has approved a loan from the International Development Association of 30 million dollars, or about 20 billion FCFA, allocated to Mali.

The loan granted to Mali aims to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen the resilience of rural households living in arid zones targeted. According to the press release, “This is additional funding under the Project for the Development of Productivity and Agricultural Diversification in the Arid Zones of Mali (Pdazam). This additional fund arrives a few days after the launch of the 27th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Note that this loan is part of the World Bank's objectives to strengthen the production and resilience of food systems, facilitate trade, develop inclusive value chains, and support vulnerable households and producers, the two-page document states. It will also cover the costs of an emergency response to food insecurity as well as those caused by inflationary pressures, due in part to the Ukrainian crisis and insecurity.