Through a rigorous and collaborative process involving local representatives, this study integrates diverse datasets covering population density, land use and infrastructure networks, as well as renewable and meteorological data, to identify favourable zones in Mali for utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore wind projects. The analysis reveals that a significant portion of Mali’s land area is well suited to solar PV (398.7 GW) and onshore wind (1.25 GW) development, with priority zones identified along existing and planned transmission lines and road networks. The findings provide insights on maximum development potential to inform national infrastructure planning and contribute to high-level policy frameworks aimed at achieving universal electricity access and mitigating the impact of climate change.