a week where decades happen

According to our tradle website the following are the main exports/imports of the countries and their destinations:

Burkina Faso $9 billion exports

• Gold 85% of exports (half in unwrought forms; half in semi-manufactured forms)
• Cotton 5.2% (raw; uncarded and not combed)

Niger ~$4 billion exports

• Gold 72% of exports (half in unwrought forms; nearly everything to the UAEmirates)
• Sesame Seeds 9.1%
• Refined Petroleum 6.2% (mostly used in Mali and Burkina Faso)
• Radioactive Chemicals 7.84% (Nuclear power plant fuel base, this goes to France 2/3 and 1/5 to Canada and 15% to South Korea)

Niger has two significant uranium mines providing 7.5% of world mining output from Africa's highest-grade uranium ores.

85% of uranium is produced in six countries: Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Namibia, Niger, and Russia. Historically, conventional mines (e.g. open pit or underground) were the main source of uranium.

Mali $9.4 billion exports:

• Gold $9 billion (96%) of which 80% goes to the UAEmirates (which is a US and Saudi ally); 20% to Switzerland and Australia
• the little leftover is mostly raw cotton, seeds and some raw products and fertilizers and a bit of agricultural products

In terms of import

A note on gold, the world wide (raw and slightly cleaned) gold production amounts to:

• China 375 ton
• Russian Federation 325 ton
• Australia 315 ton
• Mali+Burkina Faso+Niger combined ~200-250 tons (5-8% of total production)
• Canada 195 ton
• United States 172 ton
• Ghana 127 ton
• other 30-40 countries with 1500-2000ton of production combined.

Within the last 5 years the gold price rose by a third (it was volatile the years before). Leading to both higher value for the same exported amount, as well as increase in extraction activities. This was one of the main reasons for the increase in exports.

Burkina Faso and Mali got ~$2500 GDP per capita in PPP, Niger less with $1500. The countries got around 20 million people each, with Niger having a bit more with 27 million. The countries have a very young population.

Taking Niger as example, trade accounts for a quarter of GDP. The service amount of the GDP varies between 10-15%. Goods are still dominant within it. Remittance don't play such a high role. External international investments are important, too, and nearly reach the value of exports. Those sources I can't tell anything about but sanctions could be leveraged at this place as those investments are needed to streamline productive facilities outside the gold mining area.