Seventeen years after handing over control of its national telecommunications champion to a foreign investor, Mali has regained majority ownership of SOTELMA, marking one of the most significant reversals of a privatization deal in the country's recent economic history.
The development follows the implementation of a 160 billion FCFA ($277 million) agreement that renewed the operating license of SOTELMA while reshaping the company's ownership structure in favor of the Malian state.
The deal, which has now been formally acknowledged by Morocco’s telecom giant Maroc Telecom, gives Bamako a 56% stake in SOTELMA, up from 49%, restoring majority control over one of the country’s most strategic assets, according to a report by Financial Afrik.
For Mali's military-led authorities, the transaction represents far more than a corporate restructuring.
It is being presented as a major victory in the government's broader push to strengthen economic sovereignty and regain influence over sectors considered critical to national development.
