Keita helped Mali's under-20s finish third at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring the only goal in the last match against Uruguay, and being named the tournament's best player. He made his senior debut for Mali on 9 April 2000, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Libya. He wore the no.12 shirt as he represented the country in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments: in the 2010 edition in Angola he scored twice, both goals coming in the 4–4 group stage draw against the hosts, who were leading 4–0 with 11 minutes to go; "Les Aigles", however, could not make it past the group stage. From 2007 to 2008, he scored an impressive 8 goals in 20 international matches from his midfield position.