Content
Sub-Saharan Africa
Current situation:
In response to the military coup in the West African country of Mali, German Development Minister Dirk Niebel made the following statement on 23 March 2012:
"Just like the EU, we are suspending our development cooperation for the time being, in light of recent events in Mali. We are also examining whether some projects that are not close to the government and that benefit the people directly may be continued in spite of the current situation."
In practical terms, the temporary suspension means that, for the time being, there will be no further payments for development cooperation projects. The staff of German implementing agencies will not go to work for the time being. In particular, this applies to the development cooperation advisors who have been seconded to government departments on the ground.
At present, 35 seconded staff from official German implementing agencies are working in Mali. Neither they nor their families nor other German development cooperation personnel have been hurt during the political unrest.
In the late Middle Ages parts of Mali were a great empire that had grown extremely wealthy through trade in gold and spices. It also boasted a complex system of governance. After the colonial period and the one-party dictatorship that followed, this Sahelian state, with few natural resources, that has been particularly badly hit by climate change, is today one of the poorest countries in the world.
Since the early 1970s Mali's population has rocketed from around 5 million to its current level of 14.5 million (2010), and is set to increase to more than 20 million by 2030. As a result, food security is top of the agenda of the Malian government. The Human Development Index, which is compiled every year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ranked Mali 160th out of 169 nations in 2010. About three quarters of the population are forced to survive on less than the equivalent of two US dollars a day.
Nevertheless, there are real prospects that the situation may improve. Since the fall from power of the dictator Moussa Traoré in 1991, a great deal has changed. The country now has a stable democracy based on consensus and a pro-development government. Overall, the political situation in the country is regarded as stable. The conflict in the north of the country continues to undermine that stability, however. Despite the signing of several peace deals with rebel groups, the conflict continues to smoulder for various reasons. One such big problem is posed by the terrorist and criminal attacks carried out by Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, which has been using Mali as a safe haven in recent years. The region is also facing an increasing problem on account of the illegal trade in drugs, arms and humans.
Today, the fight against poverty plays a key role in Malian government policy. One positive example of the changes under way in the country is the ongoing decentralisation process – no easy undertaking in a huge, sparsely populated country, two thirds of which comprise desert or semi-desert. Mali has also made commendable progress in fighting corruption and in the field of public finance, although continued efforts are needed. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), Mali is subject to tight upper limits on national debt and inflation, which the country has respected fairly consistently over the last few years.
Mali is doing much to foster stability and security in Africa. One of the main goals of the country's foreign policy is to strengthen the African Union, of which Mali is a founding member. Host country to a training centre for officers and civilian experts involved in multinational missions, Mali plays an important part in realising the common peace and security policy of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS).
Within the framework of the nine states of the Niger Basin Authority (ABN), Mali is also involved in cross-border water resources management, with German support.
Mali was the first country in Africa to ratify the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, which came into force in 2005. In this protocol the member states of the African Union undertake to achieve total equality for women and to fight harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, which affects 85 per cent of all women between the ages of 15 and 49.
Relations between the Republic of Mali and the Federal Republic of Germany are good in all areas. Development cooperation between the two states focuses in particular on decentralisation and good governance, the promotion of productive and sustainable agriculture, and drinking water supply and sanitation.
German Embassy

German Embassy in Mali
Badalabougou-Est
Avenue de l’OUA, rue. 14, porte 330
B.P. 100
Bamako
Mali
Phone: +223 / 20 70 07 70
Fax: +223 / 20 22 96 50






