Mali

The project seeks to increase the number of remittance recipients with access to financial services and promote small and medium sized businesses. The project is focused on the extension of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) international electronic remittance service to rural postal offices and on the establishment of a link between remittances and postal account-based services. It also fosters support postal offices to develop partnerships with non-postal financial service providers such as banks and credit unions.

The project was implemented within the framework of the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration (MTM) by ICMPD and IOM between July 2011 and September 2014. The overall objective of the project was to enhance the institutional capacities of national authorities charged with migration and development to better harness the contributions of their diaspora communities.

The general objective is to support local development projects and productive investments (collective and individual) of the Malian diaspora in Mali with i) a dedicated support mechanism for entrepreneurs in France and country of origin ii) activities with public institutions and private sector institutions to improve the investment climate in countries of origin
Activities:

The Malian government implements Diaspora fora to connect and build confidence with its diaspora. The first Diaspora Forum in 2003 was the opportunity to discuss three topics:

• the organisation and the management of the diaspora (strenghten the partnership with the High Council of the Malian diaspora, ameliorate the services in the embassies and the social protection, etc),
• investments favouring development (facilitate remittances and access to property market,etc),
• involvement of the diaspora in Malian political, economical and cultural life.

The Migration Dialogue for West Africa or MIDWA was designed as a platform to encourage the Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss, in a regional context, such common migration issues and concerns for which immediate solutions may not be forthcoming at a national level. Its objective is to promote and ensure high quality cooperation among ECOWAS Member States, third countries and other international consultative forums on Free Movement and migration by:

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in "all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters .....".

ECOWAS has introduced the ECOWAS Passport and APEC has put in place an APEC-visa for certain categories of people to facilitate their movement in these groupings' member States. 

The Centre for Migration Management and Information (CIGEM - Centre d'information et Gestion des Migrations) based in Bamako, Mali, was created in 2008 through an agreement between the European Union and the Government of Mali. Its main objectives are the definition and implementation of a Malian migration policy adapted to national, regional and international dynamics in constant evolution, with particular emphasis on the link between migration and development.

'Strengthening African and Middle Eastern Diaspora Policy through South-South Exchange' (AMEDIP) is a project of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), developed and implemented within the framework of the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration (MTM). More specifically, AMEDIP builds directly upon the previous MTM initiative 'Linking Emigrant Communities for More Development - Inventory of Institutional Capacities and Practices', implemented by ICMPD and IOM in the period 2009 - 2010.

The MTM Interactive Map on Migration (i-Map) is an online interactive platform in support of the Mediterranean Migration Dialogue.

The country profiles provide factual, non-analytical information and a series of graphs illustrating the main datasets relevant to Migration and Development in the country.

The profiles give access to a plethora of information sources through hyperlinks and they cover the following thematic areas:

Mali is a landlocked country in the Sahel, with an estimated population of 12.7 million, which is growing at a rate of 3% per year, excluding large-scale migration. It is ranked 175th out of 177 countries according to the UNDP's 2006 Human Development Index but has experienced a slow but steady increase in its HDI over the past 15 years. Located in the middle of a sub-region racked by conflict, Mali restored democracy 15 years ago. Malian law guarantees human rights, and the principles of the rule of law are respected.