The Malian education system faces significant barriers to equitable access for girls, particularly in secondary schooling where dropout rates are high. A longitudinal study design was employed using data collected from a sample of Malian secondary schools over three years, including pre- and post-scholarship intervention surveys. The analysis revealed that the introduction of gender-specific scholarships led to a 20% reduction in dropout rates among female students compared to their male counterparts. Gender-specific scholarships have been shown to significantly improve educational access and retention for girls in Malian secondary schools, thereby contributing to broader efforts towards gender equity in education. Implementing and scaling up successful scholarship programmes should be a priority to further enhance educational opportunities for all genders in Mali’s secondary schools.