Mali, a poor country that embraced democracy in 1991, is considered a democratic role model for francophone Africa. It is grappling with several migration issues, including well-established networks that move thousands of Malians abroad, often with false documents, for $2,000 to $3,000; the dependence of the Kayes region, with 1.5 million residents, on emigration, particularly the remittances sent by its workers abroad; and the migration of Mali and Burkina Faso children to work on cocoa and coffee plantations in Côte d’Ivoire and other neighbouring countries. Mali is generally considered among the poorest five countries around the world, but is also considered one of the most promising democracies in West Africa (Helderman, 2002). The site visit revealed that the Kayes region of Mali is extraordinarily dependent on remittances, which have improved the lives of residents, and added schools and clinics, but do not seem to have led to the establishment of large numbers of businesses that promise stay-at-home development; that the Mali government seems open to co-development, cooperates with assisted return programmes for unauthorized Malians in France, and works with international organizations to attract educated Malians back to Mali; and that Mali is open to donor suggestions for economic development so that most residents will not have to depend agriculture and cattle raising in a water-scarce region. However, there was little evidence that Mali and its donors have found the country’s comparative advantage for sustained economic growth.
