Mali has confirmed the presence of 158,317 civil servants across state and local government sectors, according to the final report of the Integrated Human Resources Management System (SIGRH) presented on Friday to transitional president Assimi Goïta.
The digital system, launched in 2022 to modernise personnel management and strengthen payroll reliability, recorded 122,166 employees through physical and biometric identification.
However, 36,151 workers failed to present themselves, representing 4.57% of the payroll – equivalent to 48.28 billion CFA francs annually.
Authorities have given a three-month grace period for their situations to be regularised before administrative measures are considered.
A preliminary census carried out in October 2023 had identified 112,283 civil servants, but many lacked national identification numbers.
This gap led to the additional biometric enrolment that has now expanded the scope of data collection, covering staff in remote areas and those serving in diplomatic missions abroad.
The operation was carried out in three stages: gathering individual records, nationwide biometric registration, and integrating the information into software designed and hosted in Mali.
Financed entirely with national resources, the platform centralises salary data, links management services, and provides reliable statistics for monitoring the workforce.
Officials say the system could eventually be expanded to manage competitive recruitment into the public service. President Goïta praised the national design of the tool and urged swift implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Compared with neighbouring countries, Mali’s civil service now stands out in both size and scope.
The 158,317 employees recorded represent a marked increase from the 112,283 identified in 2023. By contrast, Ghana – often cited as one of the region’s strongest in public human resources – employs around 93,000 civil servants.
Analysts note that Mali’s census is distinctive in its inclusion of remote areas and diplomatic staff, areas many neighbouring states do not cover as comprehensively.
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