WASHINGTON, December 10, 2015—The World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors today discussed a three-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Mali and approved an International Development Association* (IDA) credit of US$50 million for the Second Recovery and Governance Reform Support Operation.
The Country Partnership Framework (FY16 – FY19) focuses on improving governance, creating economic opportunities and building resilience, and responds to the issues raised in the Mali Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) which identifies the risks and opportunities that can put the country on a steady path to achieving its development objectives.
“Our analysis identified weak governance, low production capacity amongst poor farmers and pastoralists, and exposure to uninsured risks as the major constraints to poverty reduction and shared prosperity in Mali,” said Paul Noumba Um, the World Bank Country Director for Mali. “The new framework addresses these challenges head on and seeks practical solutions at central and local government levels.”
While the SCD identifies structural changes in cereal markets as a driver for poverty reduction due to higher output, higher farmer incomes and lower food prices, transformation requires substantially improved human capital, contained demographic growth and reduced gender inequalities. Reinstating security is the necessary condition to pursue Mali’s objectives of poverty reduction and economic transformation.
“The CPF introduces a strategic shift towards increasing agriculture productivity. Targeted interventions in each of the four diverse livelihood zones of Mali will reach farmers, private sector and civil society using safety nets, e-vouchers and guarantees thus fostering productivity, improving resilience and accelerating key reforms”, said Paola Ridolfi, World Bank Country Program Coordinator for Mali.
The US$50 million Second Recovery and Governance Reform Support Operation builds on reforms supported under the First Recovery and Governance Reform Support Operation approved in 2014. It will support the Malian government’s efforts to improve public sector spending and strengthen government accountability and transparency while focusing on strengthening internal and external control institutions capacity, raising the effectiveness of decentralization, and increasing public finance performance.
“Armed with lessons and a deep appreciation for a political crisis that has impacted the country’s progress since 2012, Malian authorities determined to put their country back on a path to sustainable recovery by strengthening governance and ensuring effective decentralization”, said Sébastien Dessus, World Bank Task Team Leader of the operation “Mali’s legal governance framework has improved significantly since 2012. The challenge is now to fully implement it to severely curb corruption and the perception of impunity that prevailed in recent years.”
* The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 77 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change for 2.8 billion people, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 112 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent going to Africa.
