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Millennium Development Goals

Drought crisis in Mali © Action Against Hunger-USA

Mali remains consistently mired near the bottom of UNDP’s Human Development Index (2006 ranking is 175 of 177) and there are numerous natural and man-made problems. The percentage of the population in 2001/2003 who were undernourished was 28% and 72.3% of the population lives on less than a $1 a day. Primary school enrolment has been increasing, but is still only 46%. Regional problems have also impacted Mali. The current civil strife in Ivory Coast has led to the return of many migrant workers and driven up the cost of trade for Mali.

Woman carrying water in Mali © United Nations Development Programme

A 2004 Government and UNDP report held little prospect of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, though there was some hope for food self-sufficiency, universal primary education and access to potable water. Despite what most would declare a gloomy picture, there has been real progress since 1991. This is due to better, though certainly not perfect, governance. Problems in this area remain - such as widespread corruption and political parties being more concerned with personalities than policies. Decentralization and empowerment of local people holds out the best hope. Fairer terms of trade for Mali’s export crops and more development assistance to help Malians address health, education, food and water problems are necessary conditions for meaningful progress to be achieved.

Health and HIV/AIDS

With a prevalence rate of 1.7% in 2005, Mali’s HIV/AIDS rate is comparatively low for sub-Saharan Africa. However, with a poor health care system, widespread poverty and prevalence of other diseases that weaken resistance, HIV/AIDS is a looming and significant threat. Fortunately the government is taking HIV/AIDS seriously and is committed to training health workers and providing free ARVs.

Health problems abound in Mali, where overall life expectancy at birth is about 48 years. Malaria is endemic and is the reason for 33% of medical consultations and responsible for 13% of all mortality. Lack of vaccinations, poor nutrition, diarrhoeal diseases and other poor conditions contribute to extremely high rates of infant mortality (child mortality in 2001 was 113/1000). Maternal and reproductive health is a significant issue; women who go through pregnancy, child birth or have postnatal complications have a 1-in-16 chance of dying. Meningitis, hepatitis, cholera, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis and onchocerciasis (river blindness) are among other prevalent diseases.

Malian women © Dan Gerber

The Malian population is thus faced with numerous health concerns while having limited access to modern care. There are limited numbers of trained doctors and nurses and, in many areas, facilities are isolated (40% of the population lives more than 15 kilometers from a health facility). As noted above, efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases have been put in place by the government and donor agencies – but the range and depth of the integrated and self-reinforcing problems in the economic, health, social and education spheres make solving any one problem difficult.
Politics

Since 1991, when a popular uprising overthrew Moussa Traoré’s dictatorial regime, there have been two smooth transitions of presidential power in Mali. First, the “coup” leader, Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT), kept his promise not to run in the presidential election of 1992 that was won by Alpha Oumar Konaré. President Konaré respected the two-term limit and gave way to the election of ATT in 2002 and his overwhelming re-election in May 2007. With the fall of Traoré, Mali embarked upon a truly far-reaching democratization and decentralization process. This was in part the vision of some who overthrew the regime and is in part donor-driven. Today, the Government of the Republic of Mali and key partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations, the European Union (EU), Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland continue to engage in strengthening democracy and spurring local and national development through decentralization support activities.

Critical milestones for establishing an effective decentralized system in Mali over the last decade have included the National Pact (signed by Government and armed movements in April 1992) that championed decentralization as Mali’s new governance system; creation in 1993 of a government Mission de Décentralisation; the adoption, in 1995, of the Code des Collectivités Territoriales, which created the communes as autonomous levels of government with specific rights and obligations; and, in 1999, the successful organization of the first rural communal elections, which officially established 682 new local government units. Over this period, the government has passed additional laws and decrees advancing the Code, providing communes (now numbering 703) with significant autonomy in areas such as education, health, infrastructure, and overall development.
Information and Media

Radio Jamana in Sikasso, Mali © Dan Gerber

The democratic movement in the 1990s has allowed press freedom to blossom in Mali. While many independent newspapers exist, circulation is limited, press practices often suspect (e.g. people can pay to place “articles” in newspapers that are in effect press releases - and often journalists demand payment to cover events) and occasional government intimidation or self-censorship. Television and internet usage are limited but growing – though almost exclusively in urban areas.

Mali radio station © Pascal Berqué

Overall, radio is the most important and widespread medium for mass communications in Mali. High illiteracy and low incomes mean that many people rely on radio for the bulk of their news and information. Radio stations provide a critical source of information to people across Mali and have an enormous potential to better serve their constituencies by providing more high quality news and information. While there is an official government run radio station network (ORTM), Mali is the acknowledged leader in Africa for community radio. Union des Radios et Televisions Libres (URTEL) is the coordinating organization for community radio in Mali with over 100 member stations.
Economy

Malian per capita income is approximately what it was two decades ago – but, after a significant decline, has been growing in recent years (economic growth averaged 5% from 1996 to 2004). Overseas remittances play an increasingly important role in the economy, now totalling about $200 million per annum, providing half of the country's foreign currency earnings.

Market garden in Dioro, Mali © Dan Gerber

Agriculture is the basis of the Malian economy with over 70% of the working population employed in agriculture and contributing 40% of the GDP. The majority are subsistence farmers (growing millet, rice, sorghum and corn) or, for nomadic populations, herders (tending cattle, goats and sheep). Commercial crops include cotton, peanuts, sugar, tobacco and vegetables. With most crops and animals dependent on rain, drought and/or locusts can greatly impact production and bring suffering as occurred in 2004-2005. However, preliminary estimates by the Government for the 2006-2007 agricultural campaign indicate a 16% larger cereal crop than the preceding 5 year average. The Government is also now backing public-private-partnerships to develop home-grown agricultural research efforts to address Mali’s needs.

Sorting cotton in Mali © Betty Press/Panos

Mali (with several other African countries) has taken a leadership role in highlighting the problems that farmers from the Sahel have with unfair trade cotton subsidies and policies imposed by the EU and US. In 2002, the US government provided $3.4 billion in subsidies to American cotton farmers - a sum nearly twice as large as all US foreign aid to Africa. Oxfam estimates that Mali lost $14.7 million in foreign currency as a direct result of these subsidies in 2003 alone.

Industry is limited - making up a fifth of GDP - and features food processing, textiles, cigarettes, light manufacturing, plastics and bottling. Mali now has the third largest gold mining industry in Africa although the impact of gold and diamond mining is questionable since these industries do not always bring as positive a development impact on local communities as could be hoped. Environment

Urban waste in Mali © Dan Gerber

Desertification caused by centuries-old climate change (the Sahara was once green) and by contemporary global climate change has greatly afflicted Mali. An increasing population puts greater pressure on the environment from increased demand for water and firewood, and overuse of marginal lands. Certain measures – such as introduction of bore-hole wells and animal vaccination – have also been blamed for increasing herds and adding additional impact on the fragile eco-system. With 50% of the population without sustainable access to an improved water source, pressure on the environment will continue.

Due to poverty, there is little that does not go recycled or is not used for its entire life. Due to poverty as well, however, there is limited infrastructure for processing environmental waste or even for funding basic services such as trash collection.
Human Rights

Malian woman in Dire © Dan Gerber

Mali rates fairly high in surveys of human rights. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other organizations seldom cite Mali for gross violations. Still, there are several major areas where human rights are under pressure. Discrimination of women is a major issue (e.g. female adult literacy is less than half that of males and female purchasing power parity is $742 compared to $1,247 for males). Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a major human rights issue with over 90% of women affected.

Human trafficking and slavery (sometimes called indentured servitude) continues with some Tuaregs holding Bella people in the continuation of traditional relationships. Addressing these issues – particularly discrimination against women – would do much to promote development.
Conflict

Strong traditional society that often resists positive change (e.g. against changing FGM practices) can also be credited in helping Mali avoid much of the conflict that has engulfed West Africa. The most recent major conflict in Mali regards the Northern Tuareg rebellion of the early 1990s. This has been quelled in large part due to the notable partnership that Civil Society and traditional leaders have formed with government to promote national reconciliation. The Malian Government at the time “appealed to and mobilized civil society in every region to create a consensus in favor of peace and reconciliation” through a series of Concertations nationals, starting in August 1994, that helped form the basis of the 1996 Peace of Timbuktu. Peace has been maintained – mainly – though there have been periodic outbreaks of problems – most recently in May 2007 when Malian rebel leader, Ibrahim Bahanga, and Tuareg fighters from Niger, attacked a police post in Tin-Za. In July 2006, a peace accord had been signed that promised to address the many development needs of the arid north.



Dan Gerber has been involved in African development programs and issues since entering the Peace Corps in Niger in 1973. He lived in Mali from 1988 to 1992 and has returned frequently. He currently works on African democracy and governance programs within the International Development Group of RTI International.

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