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The Republic of Mali
I- Descriptive Sheet
Official name :
the Republic of Mali
Nature of the political
system: Semi-presidential regime
(the President and the Assembly are elected through universal vote. The
Government which is headed by the Prime Minister is accountable to the National
Assembly).
Capital city:
Bamako
President of the Republic:
His Excellency Mr. Amadou Toumani Touré has been in office since 8 June 2002
when he was elected president for a 5-year term.
Head of Government:
His Excellency Mr. Ousmane Issoufi Maïga.
Political Parties
represented in Parliament:
twelve out of about 70 active parties are represented in Parliament .
Civil Society:
there exist scores of associations coming from various social groups. Their
emergence is associated mainly with the democratization process launched in
1991.
Decentralization:
The territory is made up of 703 communes including 96 urban communes, divided
into the 8 administrative regions of Mali in addition to the district of Bamako
(6 communes).
Area:
1.241.238 square kilometres
Population:
11.008.518
General Population Density:
8,87 inhabitants per square kilometre
The Gross Domestic Product
per Capita: 275 USD
Main Exports:
gold, cotton, livestock.
Monetary Unit:
CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) franc = 100 centimes, shared with 7 other
countries of West Africa and issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
Exchange Rate:
matched to the euro-pegged exchange rate
regime at the fixed rate of 1 euro = 655,957 FCFA, following the agreements of
6 of July 1998 with the European Union.
Official Language:
French
Main National Languages:
Bamanan, Soninke, fulfulde, Dogon, Bozo, Songhoy, Malinke, Syenara, Mamara,
Khassonke, Tamasheq.
Religions:
Islam (95%), Christianity (3%), traditional religions (2%).
Time Zone:
GMT
Climate Conditions:
there are three climate zones:
- the Sudanic (savanna) area to the South (16% of
the territory);
- the Sahelian (semi-arid) zone climate to the
Centre and the West (44% of the territory);
- the desert climate to the North (40% of the
territory).
Three spells cover the two seasons of the year:
- the hot spell: March - May;
- The rainy spell: June - October;
- The cold spell: November - February.
II- Historical Overview
A land of ancient civilizations, Mali has been the
cradle of the medieval empires of Ghana, Mali, Songhoy, the kingdoms of Ségou
and Kaarta and the Peul and Toucouleur theocratic states. The country is named
after the Empire of Mali which drew its fame as a great attraction of its time
from its gold wealth.
Launched in 1885 from the Fort of Médine, the
French military conquest of the Niger Sudan started with the construction of a
fort in Kita (1881) and later on in Bamako (1883). The conquest came to an end
in 1898 with the proclamation of the French Sudan colony.
Shortly before independence, the Federation of
Mali was created with Senegal in April 1959. But the federation was dissolved as
of the following year and the Republic of Mali, proclaimed by Modibo Keïta,
acceded to independence on 22 September 1960.
The Modibo Keïta government collapsed on 19
November 1968, following the military coup of Moussa Traoré. The latter was
himself toppled on 26 March 1991 by General Amadou Toumani Touré who, after a
transitional period, restored democracy with the election of Alpha Oumar Konaré
in 1992, who was re-elected in 1997.
In the 2002 presidentials, Amadou Toumani Touré
who had quitted the army to run for the presidency, was elected President of the
Republic.
III- Geography
1. Geographical location:
Located at the heart of West Africa, Mali shares
7000 km of borders with seven neighbouring countries: Algeria to the North,
Niger and Burkina Faso to the East, Côte d'Ivoire to the South, Guinea Conakry
and Senegal to the West and Mauritania to North West.
It lies between latitudes 10°N and 25°N and
longitudes 4°E and 12°W.
2. Relief:
Mali’s basic relief features consist in plateaus
(the Mandingo Plateau: 400 to 800m of altitude; the Kénédougou Plateau : 200 to
300m; the Dogon Plateau: 1080 to 1155m) and plains (Falémé, Gourma and the
central Niger Delta). The desert covers the northern region.
3. Climate:
Owing to its latitude, Mali enjoys a tropical
climate. It is exposed to the Harmattan hot and dry winds and to the often rainy
Monsoon winds.
There are three climatic spells:
- The rainy spell: June - October;
- The cold spell: November - February;
- The hot spell, March - May;
4. Flora and Fauna
Vegetation in Mali is of the Soudano-Sahelian
type.
The south of the country is characterized by
savanna areas consisting of vast grass landscape dominated by trees: baobab tree,
cailcedrat, sheanut, etc.
As for the centre, it presents a Sahelian plant
cover characterized by the prevalence of steppe (acacias, hyphaene palm...)
The flooded plains are made of "bourgou" areas
used as grazing land.
In the North prevails a dwarf vegetation including
the thorn-bushes and date palm trees around the oases. In this region are also
found sand dunes and pebbles.
The south is marked by classified forests,
national parks and reserves where large animals can be found such as: elephants,
buffaloes, antelopes, lions, panthers, etc.
5. Water courses:
Mali is served by two rivers:
- The Niger River which runs over 4200 km long
including 1700 km in Mali. Taking its source in Guinea, it serves as a lifeline
between the populations of the south and those of the North ·
- The Senegal River: it runs over 1700 km long
including 700 km in Mali. It irrigates the south-western areas of the country.
Thanks to the Selingue Dam built on the Niger River and the Manantali on the
Senegal River, Mali boasts a high hydroelectric power potential.
IV- Culture and Society
1. Population
Mali lies at the heart of West African history and
culture. It is the crossroads of the peoples of North Africa and Black Africa, a
melting pot of Arab, Berber and African civilizations and an intersection of
civilizations which has blossomed into a rich ethnic and linguistic diversity as
it is home for a multitude of ethnic groups living in perfect harmony.
Mali is a young country whose population is made
of 45% of teenagers under 15. Moreover, 65% of this population is under 25.
The growth rate of the population is 2,97%.
The main ethnic groups are; the Bamanan, the Peul,
the Songhoy, the Malinké, the Sarakole , the Khassonké, the Dogons the Bozo, the
Sénoufo, the Minyanka, the Tuareg, the Moor.
Several national languages are written and have
been introduced into the adult education and training.
French is the official language, but more and more
Malians speak foreign languages (Arabic, English, German, Russian, Spanish) as
they are taught in pre-secondary and high schools.
In Mali, three great religions live together in an
atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect. These are Islam, the main religion,
Christianity and the traditional religions.
2. A World Heritage Site
On April 5, 1977, Mali ratified the 1972 UNESCO
Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage.
As part of its cultural policy and in accordance
with the aforementioned convention, the Malian government created decentralized
management entities (cultural Missions) to run the four sites registered on the
World Heritage List, namely the historical cities of Timbuktu (1988) and Djenné
(1988), the Bandiagara Escarpment in the Dogon country (1989) and the Tomb of
Askia (2004).
The main function of these entities is to help out
the Minister in charge of Culture in his task of safeguarding and developing the
sites registered on the World Heritage List.
3. Education
On the educational level, only 7% of Malian
children had access to education in the colonial era.
Therefore, in the wake of independence, the Malian
authorities initiated a reform aiming at ensuring access to education and good
quality teaching for the masses .
However, it is to be mentioned that this objective
was only partially achieved. Statistical data have shown that until 2002/2003,
the rate of schooling in the primary education was only 58,4% while the literacy
rate did not exceed 19%.
Taking into account the dysfunctions of the
education system, the authorities of the 3rd Republic, in co-operation with
their financial partners, set up a ten-year Programme for the Development of
Education (PRODEC) aimed at revamping the education system
Within the framework of this programme, the
education sector policy has focused on 10 priority axes: a « basic education of
good quality for all; a vocational training adapted to the needs of economy;
innovative and efficient general and technical secondary education ; a good
quality higher education likely to meet priority needs at not a too high cost; a
wider use of mother languages, along with French, in the State-run educational
sector; a policy to develop the publishing sector and ready-to-use didactic
material; a sustained policy for the training of teachers ; a genuine and
effective partnership in the field of education; adequate restructuring and
adjustment of institutions to allow for the renewal of the education system; a
communication policy based on dialogue and consultation among and with all
partners involved, a financing policy for the development of the education
system that takes into account the macroeconomic situation; rebalancing the
resources allotted to the various education sectors; a rational management of
the various budgets and the raising of the necessary financing resources,
particularly those emanating from decentralized regions, communities and the
private sector.
The PRODEC project which aims at bringing the rate
of schooling up to 75% in 2008 has allowed for the multiplication of facilities
and their equipment, improved the training and the massive hiring of teachers,
helped organize awareness raising campaigns and the mobilization of the
population in favour of schooling, mainly the education of little girls and
increased the number of school canteens in the underprivileged zones.
Financial support for the reforms scheduled under
the PRODEC is provided by the technical and financial partners under the Secto-based
Investment Education Plan (PISA).
4. Official Holidays
- 1st of January = New Year's Day
- 20th of January = Armed Forces’ Day ·
- 26th of March = Martyrs’ Day ·
- 1st of May = Labour Day
- 25th of May = Africa Day ·
- 22nd of September = Independence Day
- 25th of December = Christmas Day
Are also celebrated in Mali some holidays based on
the Islamic calendar: Kority (Aid Al-Fitr - end of Ramadan), Tabaski (Aid Al-Adha),
Maouloud (Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Tamkharit (new Moslem year's
day).
V- Economy
1. Agriculture
Agropastoral activity is the main sector of the
Malian economy. It accounts for 45% of the country's GDP, provides work for
nearly 80% of the active population and contributes with about 15% to exports.
Agriculture provides employment for more than 75%
of the active population and accounts for approximately 44% of the GNP.
Important achievements in irrigation benefited the rice-growing sector such as
the development of the cultivable lands run by the Niger Office.
The main food crops are millet, sorghum, corn,
rice, wheat, blackeye pea, fonio, tuber (yam, potato, manioc), and black bead.
The main export-focused crop product is cotton. In
fact, cotton provides a living for three million people in Mali. It is
cultivated in the southern part of the country. The cotton sector, whose
production rose in 2004 to 580.000 tons (1st rank in Africa), accounts for 15%
of the GDP. The small farmers are affiliated with the Malian Company for the
Development of Textiles (CMDT) whose privatization is planned for 2008.
Like in other African countries, cotton producers
in Mali are exposed to "the white gold" price fluctuations and are victims of
the fall of the dollar value. With the Europeran and American subsidized cotton
production, the Malian cotton production remains far from being competitive.
In addition to cotton, exports include mangoes,
string beans, watermelons, shea tree and babul gum.
The industrial crops include tobacco, sugar cane
...
2. Animal Breeding
Animal breeding constitutes an important activity
in economic and social terms. Indeed, it represents more than 10% of the GDP and
counts for a considerable part of assets, particularly in rural areas where it
is regarded as a way of life. Cattle ranks third among Mali’s exports after gold
and cotton.
Animal breeding is a widely practised activity in
Mali. The principal pastoral zone is the interior Niger Delta. It is a unique
space where the floodplains, lakes and ponds alternate. Seasonal movements
between the grazing lands of the rainy season and those of "bourgou" resulting
from the flooded banks of the Niger River, bear on the pastoral activity in the
interior Niger Delta, making of this millieu a main attraction area drawing the
herds of this sub-area.
The livestock production (meat, milk) is strongly
consumed in the grazing areas. It constitutes in addition to cattle an important
source of income for households.
On the national level, a part of the dairy
production is conditioned thanks to the company "Mali Lait" and a subsidiary of
the company "Yoplait".
3. Fisheries
As a professional activity, it is basically
restricted to a fringe of the population called "Bozo". However, it has always
been practised as an ancillary occupation by the households living by the
watercourses (rivers, lakes, ponds).
Fishery products account for 4% of the Malian GDP.
Depending on the high water level, the production ranges between 125.000 and
150.000 tons a year. Fisheries resources constitute an important food source for
households. These products are often kept for household consumption but are also
sold, either fresh on the spot or in dried or smoked form. They are collected by
tradesmen to be sold in the urban centres of the country but also in the
neighbouring countries.
Fish breeding produces 30 to 50 tons a year. It
constitutes an additional activity for rice growers as its integrated in the
hydro-agricultural policies.
4. Gold
Since 1992, the mining sector has witnessed a
strong evolution in Mali. The industrial gold production totaled 63,685 tons of
metal gold in 2002, allowing Mali to rank third gold exporting country on the
Africa continent, after Ghana and South Africa. The production reached 64 tons
in 2006 and gold plays a major role in the economic growth of Mali as 15% to 20%
of the GDP is generated by gold mining.
Several multinational companies have chosen to
come to Mali to operate in gold extraction in the country. Among these,
Randgold Resources, Anglogold Ashanti Limited, African Metals Corps, etc.
VI- The Administrative
System
On the administrative level, the Republic of Mali
consists of eight regions: Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, Timbuktu Gao
and Kidal. The district of Bamako comprises six communes. The Malian territory
as a whole is made of 703 communes including 96 urban ones.
In Mali, decentralisation is one of the major
ongoing reforms of the administration. It aims at the empowerment of communes,
so as for the local affairs to be managed within a more localised approach.
This reform rests on the complete review of the
territorial distribution inherited from the colonial administration. It is a
process based on consultation with the people of Mali. It has allowed so far for
the creation of communes on the basis of voluntary regrouping of villages and
localities following well defined criteria.
The Malian State has established the National
Directorate of Territorial Collectivities within the Ministry of Territorial
Administration and Local Collectivities (MATCL). The Directorate is invested
with the task of following up the implementation of decentralisation and
enhancing the local collectivities’ capacities. Technical assistance and
financial support systems were set up to this end.
In 2005, a framework paper on the national
decentralisation policy was adopted. The paper revolves around four major axes,
namely:
- developing the collectivities’
capacities;
- improving the decentralisation of the
State-run services;
- developing the culture of citizenship;
- developing private services at the
local level.
VII. Political
Institutions
In accordance with the constitution of 12 January,
1992, the democratic Mali counts eight institutions.
The President of the
Republic
He is the Head of State. He is the guardian of the
constitution. He embodies the national unity. He is the guarantor of national
independence, territorial integrity, and respect for international treaties and
accords.
In addition, he keeps watch over the regular
functioning of public authority and ensures the continuity of the State.
The Cabinet
It is headed by a Prime Minister appointed by the
President of the Republic. The Cabinet is accountable to the National Assembly (parliament).
It submits its programme and declaration to the National Assembly members.
The National Assembly
The Malian Parliament is made one house called the
National Assembly. Members of the National Assembly are called deputies who are
elected for five years by direct universal vote.
The Supreme Court
The judicial power is independent from the
executive and legislative powers. It is exercised by the Supreme Court and the
other courts and tribunals.
The Constitutional Court
It is the regulating body of the functioning of
the institutions as well as of the activity of the public powers. It is decides
on the constitutionality of the laws and it guarantees the fundamental laws of
the individual and public liberties.
The High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is competent to try the
President of the Republic and Ministers upon allegation of high treason or of
crimes or offenses committed while exercising their functions.
The High Council of
Collectivities
The mission of the High Council of Collectives is
to represent the Territorial Collectivities vis-à-vis the State. Its members
study and issue their opinions about every issue of local and regional
development.
The Economic, Social and
Cultural Council
It is composed of the representatives of trade
unions, associations, socio-professional groups, collectivities and Malians
abroad. It is competent regarding all aspects of the economic, social and
cultural development of the country. It cooperates with high-ranking State
officials in collecting and drafting an annual report on the expectations, needs
and problems of the civil society that have arisen out of its orientation and
proposals. The report is to be presented to the President of the Republic, the
Cabinet and the National Assembly
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