Mali Country Profile

Private Anti-Corruption Initiatives

  • Media: The freedoms of speech and of the press are provided for in the Constitution and are largely respected in practice. Nonetheless, libel remains a criminal offence and is severely punished, as reported by Freedom House 2008. Compared to many other Africa countries, Mali has an open and free media climate. Around a dozen newspapers are regularly published in Bamako and there are more than 125 radio stations. Even those media outlets that are state-controlled provide critical views of government policies and actions. However, there are certain restraints in the Press Regulations and Press Offences Act and Penal Code (in French) that complicate writing or broadcasting about corruption. Access to the Internet is not restricted or monitored by the government. However, the Internet is accessible only to the minority living in big cities and to those who are able to pay the high connection fees. Despite these restraints, the media have helped increase civil society's impact in the fight against corruption. In the Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2009, Mali is ranked 31st out of 173 countries. The Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index 2009 ranks Mali 53rd out of 195 countries and describes the country's media environment as 'free'.

  • Civil Society: Civil society in Mali is generally viewed as being strong. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2008, the former dictator TraorĂ© could not have been overthrown in 1992 without some strong traditions of civil society. Many civil society organisations (CSOs) contribute to raising public awareness of corruption problems, and they are able to convey their messages through the media. Both freedom of association and assembly are respected in practice. In principle, CSOs are able to operate freely without governmental interference. However, the separation between state and civil society is not easily discernible, given that many NGO leaders are also members of the government.

  • West Africa Trade Hub: The West Africa Trade Hub is funded and managed by the USAID Regional Mission for West Africa (USAID/WA) with the incentive to promote trade throughout the region. Its Improved Road Transport Governance (IRTG) team has been providing training of local truck drivers and collecting data about bribes, delays and checkpoints in order to optimise cargo transport and make it faster and less expensive. Apparently, this programme has been especially successful in Mali where improvements have been made in reducing the amount of bribes paid as well as the number of checkpoints.

  • African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC): APNAC has a chapter in Mali. Their activities include preparation of anti-corruption action plans, capacity-building workshops, funding activities, etc.