Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have begun a meeting in Ouagadougou to harmonize their policies on energy, mining and oil, as part of efforts to deepen integration within the Confederation of Sahel States, or AES. The meeting, which runs until August 12, brings together senior officials and experts from the three countries to examine five key documents, including common frameworks for energy and mineral resource exploitation, harmonized energy and mining policies, and the creation of an AES Energy and Mining Week.
Officials say the harmonization is intended to ensure that the three countries adopt a common approach to managing their strategic resources. Burkina Faso has called for greater local processing of raw materials, increased local content and the mobilization of Sahelian expertise. The meeting will also address illegal gold mining, fraud, corruption, mineral trafficking and environmental protection. The three AES members say a shared policy framework will strengthen economic complementarity and support their broader political, economic and security integration.
