History and geography of Mali 

Mali is located in the heart of West Africa, with a land area of 1,241,238 sq km (twice the size of France). The central part is the interior delta of the Niger river and bridges the Sahara in the North and the wooded savannah in the South.

Mali was the cradle of many empires, kingdoms, and states, including the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire and Songhoi Empire, the kingdoms of the Bambara of Segou and Kaarta, the Kingdom of Sikasso, and the Peuhl and Toucouleur theocratic States.

For many centuries, the increasing aridity of the Sahara has led communities to migrate towards the Niger valley. Powerful empires, mainly Muslim-led, followed until the late 19th century. Djenné, Gao and Timbuktu became Muslim commercial and artistic cities.

In 1904, the region became the French colony of the High Senegal Niger, later known as French Sudan. The country became independent in 1960 and became the Republic of Mali.

It shares almost 7200km of borders with seven countries: Algeria to the north, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso to the south-east, Ivory Coast to the south and Guinea-Conakry, Senegal and Mauritania to the west.

In early 1991 political instability brought riots which ended the 23 year reign of Moussa Traoré. In 1992, Alpha Omar Konaré was elected president and re-elected in 1997. He handed over power in 2002 to another elected president, Amadou Toumani Toure.

Population

Mali's population was 9.8 million people in 1998, with an annual growth of 2.4% per annum. Life expectancy at birth is about 50. Women give birth to six children on average. Child mortality is 113/1000 and the under five mortality is 223/1000, which means that one in five children die before the age of five. About 90% of Malians live in the southern half of the country, 73% in rural areas. 90% of the population are Muslim, 3% Christian, and 5% Animist.

Economy

In a country which is 60% semi-arid, economic activities take place mainly in areas close to, and irrigated with, water from the Niger River. Gold mining is the principal resource with 25.3 tonnes in 1999, but the country is also endowed with salt, phosphate and uranium. There are other mineral resources that are yet to be exploited. These include bauxite, iron, manganese, tin and copper.

The economy is dominated by the agriculture sector which employs approximately 75% of the country's labour force and accounts for 46% of GDP. At present, industrial agriculture is dominated by cotton (405,907 tonnes in 1995/96) making Mali the number two cotton producer in Africa, after Egypt. Cotton has significantly contributed to support villagers, for agriculture equipment purchase, the construction of schools and health centres.

The main food crops are rice, millet, sorghum and maize. Mali also produces and exports groundnuts and sugar. Livestock and fishing are also important. Crop cultivation had a growth rate of 6% between 1989 and 1996, and 13.3% between 1996 and 1999. Food farming however only grew by 0.6% from 1989 to 1996 and 1.8% from 1996 to 1999. 

The GDP in 1999 was estimated to be US$ 2.6 billion and the annual income per capita is $240. This is less than half the average in sub-Sahara Africa. 69% of Malians live below the poverty line. Since 1985, the poverty status has worsened in Mali with the GDP decreasing by one percent per annum. Currently, 94% of the country's total debt is classified as long-term debt and is split between multilateral (57%) and bilateral (43%).

In January 1994, a cataclysm struck the country as France decided to devalue the CFA franc currency by 50%. As a result, the prices of foreign products doubled overnight. With no foreign reserves and money now valued at half its original value, there was a need to export more goods. 

Since this devaluation, Malian products have become more competitive abroad. However, this is not enough to sustain the economy, since prices are repeatedly falling. Consequently poverty has worsened and brought about serious deprivation in living conditions.

Development indicators

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. The UNDP Human Development Report (UNDP 2001) ranks Mali as 153rd out of 162 countries. Poverty is a widespread phenomenon with 63.8% of the population classified as poor and 21% as extremely or severely poor. Water and sanitation-related diseases including malaria and diarrhoea are respectively the first and third causes of death among children less than five years old.

Analysis shows that Mali is going through a difficult period, including the cotton sector constraints, poor rainfalls since 2000/2001, oil price increases, economic crisis in neighbouring countries, and locust invasions in 2004.

Safe water supply and sanitation

In 2003, the National Hydraulics Directorate (DNH) has listed a total of 28,045 modern water points including 15154 boreholes, 532 tube wells and 3483 tap stands. In addition, 241 areas are fitted with small water supply schemes. Of the 35 urban areas, only 15 are supplied and run by EDM Ltd, whereas the others fall under the responsibility of DNH and are managed by user associations.

Based on sector standards, water coverage outside Bamako district is estimated at 66%. However, based on the high breakdown rate in Mali, around 37% of these facilities are not working for periods of the year.

Regarding sanitation, 62% of households use non-safe traditional sanitation facilities and only 10% own improved latrines. In urban areas, 33% of households use flush toilets or improved latrines. 

In terms of existing hygiene behaviour practices, only 15% of households use soap, ash or other local products to wash their hands.

The statistics displayed above are partly responsible for particularly the high mortality rate of children under five. Diarrhoea is the third biggest cause of death of children under five. The recent cholera outbreak in August 2003 affected 4298 people, of whom 328 died.

In some areas such as Gao, Tombouctou and Mopti, guinea worm is still an endemic disease. The lack of basic services such as safe water supply and excreta disposal compounded by inadequate hygiene practices largely account for this high level of water borne diseases. Guinea worm is widespread in Mopti, Tombouctou and Gao, with over 829 recorded cases in 2003 between them. Trachoma accounts for 34.9% of cases nationwide. 

Diarrhoea (19% prevalence in under fives and 29% in those aged six to 11 months) is the third most common cause of death after malaria and acute respiratory infections.