How much do we know about the Sahel — the arable land that shapes its ecosystem, the trade routes that connect its markets, the financial architecture that supports them, and the cultures and commercial relationships built across generations?
For decades, the Sahel has been described primarily in terms of vulnerability and crisis. Conflict, climate pressure and food insecurity are part of the region’s operating environment, but they do not describe its whole economy. The Sahel also has substantial agricultural and pastoral resources, growing consumer markets and commercial relationships built over generations.
Investment follows perception. When the region is assessed mainly through its risks, the productive economy receives less attention than it deserves. The Sahel remains an underfinanced agricultural market despite the scale of its land, livestock and existing trade.
The region’s young population will shape how that market develops. In Mali and Niger, more than 45 per cent of the population is under 15. Millions more young people will enter the labour market in the coming years. Many are already building businesses in agriculture, digital commerce and technologies. Their ability to grow those businesses will depend on education, finance and access to markets.
As the region’s population grows, so will demand for food, services and employment. The economic outlook reinforces the investment case.The International Monetary Fund projects real GDP growth in 2026 of 6.7 per cent in Niger and 5.5 per cent in Mali, compared with projected growth of 4.3 per cent for Sub-Saharan Africa. Insecurity and climate shocks remain serious constraints. Growth at these levels still points to expanding demand and room for productive investment.
Serving that demand depends on the movement of goods and capital. Part of the necessary architecture is already in place. The eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union share a currency and a common financial framework. Trade corridors from the Port of Dakar serve Malian markets, while routes from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria connect Burkina Faso and Niger to coastal ports. For the Sahel’s landlocked economies, these routes provide access to machinery, inputs and larger consumer markets.
Mali’s cotton industry shows the commercial importance of those connections. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service reporting forecasts Mali’s lint cotton production at 1.26 million bales, equivalent to approximately 274,000 metric tonnes, for the 2025/26 marketing year. The report indicates that around 60 per cent of Mali’s cotton exports move through Dakar, while another 30 per cent pass through San Pédro and Abidjan. Production begins inland, but the value it creates extends to transport, warehousing and other businesses along the route.
Livestock adds another dimension to this agricultural economy. FAO estimates place Mali’s livestock population at 115.6 million animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and poultry, while Niger’s livestock population is estimated at 73.4 million. Cattle and small ruminants from these herds move along well-established regional trade corridors, sustaining pastoralists and creating demand for transport, feed, animal-health services and processing.
The size of these herds matters because much of their economic value remains unrealised. Gaps in animal-health services affect productivity, while limited aggregation, cold storage and processing restrict market access and reduce the value retained within producing countries. Investment in these areas would strengthen businesses already operating within the livestock economy.
National development plans in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger provide a policy foundation for this investment. The World Bank Group’s new partnership frameworks are aligned with these priorities and include measures to expand access to finance, strengthen supply chains and support regional programmes. Private investment can build on these plans by financing businesses able to process more locally and serve larger markets.
Heifer International’s work with dairy value chains in Senegal has shown where investment can make a difference. We have seen the need for capital in local milk production, animal health, aggregation and processing, as well as finance that enables farmers and agricultural businesses to grow. Building on this experience, Heifer is developing a multi-country dairy investment in Niger, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, with a focus on creating business and employment opportunities for young people and women.
With investments of this kind, the Sahel can retain more value from what it already produces, support growing agribusinesses and create more opportunities for its young people.
Safia Boly is the Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International.
