Senior Government officials, academics and representatives of civil society meeting in Bamako, 9 to 10 Januray 2002, have agreed to a comprehensive national action plan for Mali.

The plan includes measures for trade expansion and capacity-building, as well as for the simplification of the business environment, investment promotion, support for SMEs and micro-finance and development of a communications infrastructure.

The proposals are the outcome of a national workshop chaired by Mr. Mody N'Diaye, Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Transport.

During the workshop participants discussed the findings of the Mali Country Assessment, which praises the recent growth in the economy, following liberalization, but warns of the low level of sustainable human development.

It calls for a diversification of exports from raw materials, notably cotton, gold and livestock, with an increase in productivity in agricultural production and the creation of value-added products. It supports the creation of an export promotion agency (MALIPEX).

However, it cautions that export-increasing policies require a parallel national strategy to accompany trade expansion. In particular, efforts should be concentrated on improving transport, the financial sector, commercial intelligence, telecommunications and workforce skills.

As a further obstacle to FDI, the report points to the small size of the economy, even if membership of the West African Economic and Monetary Union is taken into account. It recommends measures to address the low labour productivity, improve the business climate, invest in communications, and reinforce investment promotion activities.

The report warns of growing poverty; a result of, among others, unemployment, gender disparities, low literacy and a poor rural infrastructure. It recommends investment in health and education, with training programmes that match the needs of the labour market.

The workshop was well received and the Global Programme looks forward to working with all development actors to implement the action plan.

For more information please email globalprogramme@unctad.org.

Click here to view a summary of the Mali Country Assessment.

Click here to go to the Mali workshop page.