Mali's Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Hamadoun Toure has announced the government is considering opening the telecoms market to a fourth mobile operator if service prices remain expensive, Ecofin reported. Toure said the government has discussed a reduction in service costs with operators but concrete results are yet to be seen. He believes that lowering costs will not lead to a decrease in operators’ profits, but will rather increase them through the higher number of users to be attracted.
Demand for affordable quality connectivity has grown in Mali, as in many African countries, and the government wants to make the internet accessible to every Malian. Toure is certain that the government will be able to achieve its ambition of making Mali one of the top ten most digitised countries on the continent. Better access to the internet will contribute to economic development, notably by supporting the development of the innovation industry and job creation.
