MALI

ABOUT MALI:
Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of just over 1,241,278 square
kilometres (478,764 square miles). It is a land-locked country approximately twice the size of
Texas.
The population of Mali is 18 million. Its capital is Bamako. Mali consists of eight regions
and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert, while the
country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, features
the Niger and Senegal rivers. The country's economy centers on agriculture and mining.
Some of Mali's prominent natural resources include gold, being the third largest producer of
gold in the African continent, and salt. A majority of the population (90%) are Muslims. Mali
was once part of three West African empires that controlled trans-Saharan trade: the Ghana
Empire, the Mali Empire (for which Mali is named), and the Songhai Empire.

LOCATION OF THE COUNTRY:

Mali is a landlocked nation in West Africa, located southwest of Algeria, extending south-
west from the southern Sahara Desert through the Sahel to the Sudanian savanna zone. Mali's
size is 1,240,192 square kilometers.

PESTLE ANALYSIS:
PESTLE analysis, which is sometimes referred as PEST analysis, is a concept in marketing
principles. Moreover, this concept is used as a tool by companies to track the environment
they’re operating in or are planning to launch a new project/product/service/company etc.
PESTLE is a mnemonic which in its expanded form denotes,
P for Political
E for Economic
S for Social
T for Technological
L for Legal
E for Environmental
It gives a bird’s eye view of the whole environment from many different angles that one
wants to check and keep a track of while contemplating on a certain idea/plan.
POLITICAL
Mali was a constitutional democracy governed by the Constitution of 12 January 1992, which
was amended in 1999. The constitution provides for a separation of powers among the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The system of government can be
described as "semi-presidential". Executive power is vested in a president, who is elected to a
five-year term by universal suffrage and is limited to two terms.

The president serves as a chief of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. A prime
minister appointed by the president serves as head of government and in turn appoints the
Council of Ministers. The assembly holds two regular sessions each year, during which it
debates and votes on legislation that has been submitted by a member or by the government.
Mali's constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but the executive continues to
exercise influence over the judiciary by virtue of power to appoint judges and oversee both
judicial functions and law enforcement. Mali's highest courts are the Supreme Court, which
has both judicial and administrative powers, and a separate Constitutional Court that provides
judicial review of legislative acts and serves as an election arbiter. Various lower courts exist,
though village chiefs and elders resolve most local disputes in rural areas.

ECONOMIC
The Central Bank of West African States handles the financial affairs of Mali and additional
members of the Economic Community of West African States. Mali is one of the poorest
countries in the world. The average worker's annual salary is approximately US$1,500.
Mali underwent economic reform, beginning in 1988 by signing agreements with the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Since the agreement, sixteen enterprises were
privatized, 12 partially privatized, and 20 liquidated.
Between 1992 and 1995, Mali implemented an economic adjustment programme that resulted
in economic growth and a reduction in financial imbalances. The programme increased social
and economic conditions, and led to Mali joining the World Trade Organization on 31 May
1995.
Mali is also a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in
Africa (OHADA). The gross domestic product (GDP) has risen since. In 2017, the GDP
amounted to US$3.4 billion, and increased to US$5.8 billion in 2018, which amounts to an
approximately 17.6 percent annual growth rate.
Mali is connected with the French government by agreement since 1962 (creation
of BCEAO). Today all seven countries of BCEAO (including Mali) are connected to French
Central Bank.
SOCIO- CULTURAL
Mali, at least on paper, provides an extensive welfare system. Workers are entitled to
retirement benefits, health care, sick leave, maternity leave, and other forms of compensation.
Furthermore, many aspects of the social welfare system, even if it were fully operational,
would affect only wage workers, who constitute a minority of the overall Malian worker
population. However social welfare remains at the center of the government agenda. The
Malian government, with the backing of the World Bank and the IMF, is planning to increase
spending in health and education. Most Malians work in the so-called informal sector and
rely on alternative welfare strategies, such as the development of reliable social networks
among kin, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Since independence the government has
devoted more resources to secondary education than to mass primary schooling. Secondary
schools are concentrated in urban areas
Malian national culture can be best defined as a project that was developed with different
emphasis and credibility by the governments that led Mali in the post independence period
(1960 to the present).
The varied everyday culture of Malians reflects the country's ethnic and geographic
diversity. Most Malians wear flowing, colorful robes called boubous that are typical of West
Africa. Malians frequently participate in traditional festivals, dances, and ceremonies.

LEGAL
According to Mali's Constitution, many rights are protected under the law:

All Malians are born and live free and equal in their rights and duties. Any discrimination
based on social origin, color, language, race, sex, religion, or political opinion is prohibited.
The human dignity is sacred and inviolable. Each individual has the right to life, liberty, and
the security and integrity of his person. No one will be put to torture, nor to inhumane, cruel,
degrading, or humiliating treatment. Each individual of the State who is found guilty of such
acts, either on his own initiative, or by another individual's command, will be punished at
law.
There are no laws protecting children. There is a social service department which investigates
and intervenes in cases of child abuse/neglect yet these cases are rarely reported. Human
trafficking is punishable from 5 to 20 years in jail. Assault is punishable by prison terms of
one to five years and fines of up to $1,000 and up to 10 years if premeditated. The death
penalty in Mali has been abolished in practice, meaning that no one has been executed in the
past 10 years and they may have established a practice for not carrying out executions. On a
Scale of 0-10, 0 being the most corrupt and 10 being the lowest, Mali scored a 2.7 and ranked
116 out of 178 countries in 2010.

According to the Malian Constitution, If law to which the present Constitution confers the
characteristics of an organization law then the proposal may be deliberated in the National
Assembly and voted on after the end of the 15th day time period that it has been deposited
into the National Assembly.