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Introduction

Development cooperation with Mali is within the framework of the third Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP III, 2015-2019), with an initial indicative financial envelope of EUR 55 million. During the 10th committee partnership meeting, held on 4 April 2019 and in line with the recommendations from the mid-term review of the ICP III, it was officially extended by a year to the end of 2020 in order to embed achievements made and to better prepare for the next programming cycle. The two strategic priorities of this new programming cycle, ICP IV, which will cover the 2021-2025 period, were also chosen at this time:

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  • Productive agriculture and a dynamic private sector to combat poverty in rural areas and to develop employment for young people and women; and
  • Vocational training and socio-economic integration for young people and women.

The extension of the ICP III has led to budget increases from Luxembourg of EUR 15 million, plus a commitment by the Malian state to finalise the hydro-agricultural development work covering 510 hectares in the West San plain (Ségou region). Long-standing investment by Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation on this plain should, in the long term, make it possible to increase the available agricultural land of more than 1,900 farmers and food and nutritional security for nearly 9,500 beneficiaries.

In the Gao region in the north of Mali, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation has supported the market garden producers of Tacharane to develop a mini borehole equipped with a solar pump, a piping network and a storage and sale unit. Having subsequently benefited from vocational training courses, the producers’ association was able to significantly improve its yields and today provides apprenticeships to young market gardeners.

Thanks to Luxembourg’s financial support, in April 2019 UN Women launched a simple tailored platform to boost the marketing of agricultural products produced by rural women.

Furthermore, Luxembourg acted as coordinator of the technical and financial partners in the vocational training sector in Mali. In this context, Jean-Claude Sidibé, Mali’s Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, visited Luxembourg on 10 and 11 October to learn more about Luxembourg’s vocational training system and its entrepreneurship training for young people. He visited the Agence de Transfert de Technologie Financière/House of Training, the building sector training institute in Bettembourg, the Lycée Technique du Centre and the TalentHub at the Lycée Technique des Arts et Métiers. The establishment of public-private partnerships was also a focus of discussions during the visit.

In order to improve the employability of young people and their incomes and to promote the creation and management of micro and small enterprises in rural areas, in 2019 the International Labour Office (ILO), through financing from Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation, delivered capacity-building in entrepreneurship for 45 senior employees of national employment promotion agencies. 203 micro-entrepreneurs also strengthened their capacities in entrepreneurship and 1,281 young micro-entrepreneurs were supported by the GERME (‘Gérez Mieux Votre Entreprise’ - Manage Your Enterprise Better) network.

Finally, eight Luxembourgish NGOs (the Luxembourg Red Cross, ECPAT, Fondation Raoul Follereau, Handicap International, SOS Villages d’Enfants, Fondation Partage, SOS Faim and Caritas) have run projects in 2019 in Mali in the sectors of health, water and sanitation, education and vocational training, rural and agricultural development, emergency aid and the elimination of violence against women.

Highlighted project

Buy From Women platform

Thanks to Luxembourg’s financial support, in April 2019 UN Women launched a simple tailored platform to boost the marketing of agricultural products produced by rural women. The Buy From Women platform is an open-source innovation from UN Women which provides female farmers and processors with a mobile and web application that gives them easier access to information, training, funding opportunities and national and international markets. The platform was also selected from among 700 applications to feature at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2019.

Priority areas of intervention

  • Zero hunger
  • Quality education
  • Decent work and economic growth
  • Peace, justice and strong institutions

Development of PDA

Reference data

  • Population: 19,658,031
  • GNI (per resident): USD 880
  • Human Development Index (HDI): 184/189
  • Life expectancy: 59
  • Indicative Cooperation Programme: 2015-2020

Key achievements 2019

  • 10th partnership committee meeting between Mali and Luxembourg, April 2019
  • Extension of the ICP III until December 2020, including budget increases amounting to EUR 15 million
  • Launch of the process to identify the ICP IV: nearly 50 consultations carried out in Bamako during 2019
  • UN Women launches its Buy From Women platform in Mali
  • Visit by the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Jean Claude Sidibé, to Luxembourg in October 2019

Sector breakdown

2019