Project description

Title: Advisory Services to the Economy and Finance Ministry
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Mali
Lead executing agency: Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances
Overall term: September 2001 - August 2009

Context

The Republic of Mali is one of the world’s poor countries and is deeply in debt. In May of 2002, a national poverty reduction strategy was approved. A significant problem for the implementation of the strategy remains the lack of coherence between macroeconomic framework planning, budgetary policy and the poverty reduction strategy.

The initially strong participation of civil society (non-governmental organisations, regional administrative bodies) in the drafting of the poverty reduction strategy has given way to a general lack of interest, so that the poverty reduction strategy is scarcely mentioned anymore in public discussion of policy.

Objective

The project aims to ensure that the Malian Government earmarks available funds for its poverty reduction strategy within its budget in a transparent and results-oriented manner.

Approach

Decisive for achievement of the goal is the availability of practical knowledge within institutions. The main promotional components are thus instrument development, advisory services and training of those ministries occupied with budgetary planning, macro-steering and poverty strategy, and of the central bank and the parliament.

To ensure sustainability, the instruments and procedures that have already been developed are being optimised and institutionalised. The focus will lie on the integration and coherence of the instruments and procedures. In addition, project activities are planned for the monitoring and evaluation of a poverty-oriented expenditure policy.

The process of reworking the poverty reduction strategy should also be used to revitalise public discussion about a poverty-oriented economic and social policy.

Results achieved so far

The project has helped to improve the quality of the Malian PRSP and to incorporate the development strategy into the budget.

By employing the methods developed by the project, it is now possible for the Malian Government to draw up precise plans for the efficient use of funds available internally and externally in the medium and long term.

The project file that was created on external programme support has led to greater transparency and better coordination of development aid.

Further information

• Rapport de l’atelier
  Evaluation de la perception des acteurs sur le Cadre Stratégique de Lutte contre la Pauvreté au Mali
  fr-perception-des-acteurs-sur-le-Cadre-Strategique-de-Lutte-contre-la-Pauvrete-au-Mali.pdf, 0.35 MB (French)