BAMAKO, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Nigerian Stephen Keshi has been named as the new coach of Mali, the west African country's football federation announced on Wednesday.

He replaces Frenchman Jean-Francois Jodar who was sacked on March 12 following his side's poor performances at the African Nations Cup in Ghana in January.

A federation spokesman said that Keshi, who was in charge of Togo last year, would be tasked with qualifying Mali for the finals of the African Nations and World Cup in 2010.