Political unrest and insecurity in Mali in recent years has made radio an even more critical source of information and dialogue, as internal conflict often results in reduced public services. Working in Mali remains a challenge due to security concerns, but we are proud to have maintained our presence there since 2007. In fact, Bamako is home to our longest-operating francophone office.

A large country with a relatively small, highly dispersed population, Mali has a radio landscape characterized by many small, local and community-oriented stations. It is home to one of our favourite projects in our history: a reality radio series called FarmQuest that saw six young farmers compete to be named their region’s best new farmer.