Deux personnes échangent des billets de Banque à Bamako, le 27 octobre 2023

Mali has seen a decline in its standing on the 2025 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. The nation has slipped from 135th to 136th place globally, falling behind its AES allies, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The annual index, which measures international efforts to combat graft, reviewed 182 countries this year. Mali earned a score of 28/100, resulting in its current 136th position. This slight regression of one spot occurs despite various initiatives launched by the government to tackle financial malpractice within the country.

Governance and transparency challenges

Ibrahim Harouna Touré, who serves as the regional coordinator for the Observatory for Human Rights and Peace in Gao, suggests that these results reflect deep-seated issues in transparency and governance. “There is a distinct lack of public discourse and oversight regarding major state initiatives. Furthermore, accountability remains absent in the public procurement process,” he noted.

A need for institutional accountability

The civil society representative further highlighted that institutional leaders are not sufficiently answerable to the citizenry. “It often feels like a form of unrestricted governance, where each body manages public resources without oversight,” Touré explained.

According to his analysis, these gaps in transparency and the failure to hold officials accountable are the primary drivers behind the continued presence of corruption throughout Mali.