The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Mali, His Excellency President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, has hailed his Ugandan counterpart, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, as a true Pan Africanist committed to the development and integration of the African Continent.

President Keita made the remarks after receiving the letters of credence accrediting Mr. Nelson Ocheger as Ambassador Extra- Ordinary and Pleinpotentiary of the Republic of Uganda to the Republic of Mali. The ceremony took place on March 5th, 2018 at the Malian Capital, Bamako.

Welcoming Amb. Nelson Ocheger to the Republic of Mali, President Keita assured his guest of his government's commitment to strengthening the cordial bilateral relations which exist between Mali and Uganda.

Amb. Ocheger conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from President Museveni to his Malian counterpart, and emphasised the need for regular political and diplomatic consultations on all issues of mutual interest including regional and African integration since both countries have a deep desire for an integrated African continent.

He called for closer cooperation between Mali and Uganda in the defense and security sectors in order to fight terrorism in their respective countries and regions. Headded that peace and security were the prerequisites for the socio-economic transformation of the two peoples.

Noting that the current economic and commercial relations between the two countries remained low, the new Ugandan envoy assured his host of his commitment to scale up cooperation in the areas of investment, trade, tourism, agriculture and transport.

Amb. Ocheger revealed that since Mali and Uganda both have significant deposits of gold, phosphates, salt and limestone, it is imperative that the two countries share experiences in the exploitation of those minerals and other natural resources.