Millennium Villages Blog

Road in Mali before construction

In April 2009, the Millennium Villages project completed construction of a new road in Mali. Following alongside the Niger River, the road connects the Tiby, Mali cluster of Millennium Villages with health services and markets in the town of Markala.

Before construction of the new road there was no direct route from the Tiby cluster to Markala. Patients with medical emergencies had to travel 70km – more than an hour drive – to reach the referral hospital in the town. Now, the new road provides a shortcut to the hospital, reducing the travel distance to 30km – less than a half hour drive.

New road to Markala

With one of the only bridges in the region, Markala also attracts people from either side of the Niger River who come to trade goods and services. This makes the town a bustling market center with internet cafes, fish markets and much more. The new road connects these services to people in the Tiby cluster, creating a broader market for their products.

The road in Mali is a powerful example of how a practical intervention can transform entire communities. By connecting the Tiby clusters to health services and market centers, the new road is helping to achieve the income and health Millennium Development Goals.

The new road (2) links the cluster with the referral hospital in Markala (also a big market area). It reduces the actual travel distance from the cluster to Markala by 40km by avoiding the need to go through junction (1).

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