Mali Connectivity and Road Resilience Project

Adaptation Need

Mali’s road network—vital for national mobility and regional trade—is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, with rising temperatures and erratic rainfall accelerating infrastructure deterioration and disrupting connectivity. The 2024 floods, linked to climate change, severely damaged the NBDC corridor, prompting a national disaster declaration affecting 350,000 people. In western Mali, where poverty rates are high and health services scarce, climate-induced transport disruptions particularly undermine access to healthcare and food supply chains. The current project lacks a comprehensive approach to climate risk assessment across infrastructure lifecycles, as well as integration of resilience planning for rural connectivity, healthcare access, and trade logistics. These gaps underline the urgent need to embed adaptation measures that respond to both direct and cascading climate impacts.

GCA’s Added Value

GCA brings an integrated, systems-based approach to strengthen climate resilience in Mali’s transport sector by conducting multi-hazard climate risk assessments and prioritizing adaptation solutions at both asset and network levels. Building on the World Bank’s CCDR for the Sahel, GCA will quantify direct and indirect climate risks—particularly those affecting road reliability, rural connectivity, maternal health access, and food distribution—and propose actionable, cost-effective adaptation measures. These findings will inform technical designs and road asset management systems, while also enhancing local service continuity. In parallel, GCA will support institutional strengthening and deliver tailored capacity building, including a regional AAAP Masterclass on Climate Resilient Infrastructure PPPs for Mali, Niger, and Chad.