US to finance new, Chinese-built airport in Mali

The U.S. Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is financing the construction of a new, 23- month project, airport in Bamako, Mali to "open up the country and ease air links between Mali and other countries, improving commercial connections and reducing costs." It is currently exceedingly expensive to fly to the Bamako airport- hopefully this new project will be a huge success and boost the job market in Bamako to support travel to and from West Africa. The new airport is projected to serve 1.5 million passengers per year and will hopefully serve as an opportunity for the landlocked Mali to participate in global market and trade and boost their weak infrastructure.

Because this will open doors for new airlines and lower flying costs in and out of Mali, this project could be huge for artists, musicians, and performers interested in collaborating and generating international awareness about the culture and performative traditions of Mali. Not only will finances hopefully be less of a burden for traveling artists but some of the infrastructural gains that could result from this project might make Mali less of a perceived "risk" for interested visitors and travelers.

Despite all these potential benefits, this situation is quite demonstrative of the relationship between Mali and foreign industries specifically to the U.S. and China. Ideally, a project like this which does have clear benefits for the Malian economy and infrastructure would also contribute to the Malian economy by contracting Malians for the construction process rather than outsourcing for a Chinese construction company. Too often, countries like the U.S. step in to provide aid and assistance to Mali but only provide temporary solutions that are not sustainable because the skills and assets of the Malian professional and industrial community have never been called upon. Instead, the U.S.'s relationship with Mali is affected by contracting a separate foreign industry such as China to interact with the local economy of Bamako rather than directly stimulating Mali's economy by tapping into the resources potentially available there. While this may not always be the most cost-effective approach to projects like this, the long-term benefits to providing a more sustainable industry could mean less of a need to step in financially in the future.