Projects to explore and tap into Mali’s potential vast oil reserves have attracted significant international interest, according to Prime Minister Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé. The Taoudeni Basin, which stretches between Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria, shares geological similarities with other oil-rich basins in Africa and could help boost the economy of Mali. Key to the success of any long-term venture, however, will be the government’s ability to establish better control over the northern region of the country, which is still plagued by terrorist activity.