Canada’s International Development Agency Assistance to Mali 2006-2011

Canadian International Development Agency in Mali
Name
Institution
Canadian International Development Agency in Mali
Introduction
Canada is one of the member states in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and thus a key player in the provision of international assistance to the developing countries around the world. The nation has over the years established international development programs in collaboration with the host countries to improve the quality of life of the people in the developing world. At the forefront of initiating, implementing, and overseeing such programs is the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The agency accounts for most of the nation’s budgetary allocation towards international aid as it seeks to ensure the effective delivery and management of the international assistance provided to the foreign countries. The agency develops programs to assist with a wide range of sectors. It is a comprehensive approach that covers the social, political, cultural, and economic development. Such initiatives include the promotion of gender equality in economic development, sustainable agricultural practice, environmental safety awareness, good governance, and the protection of human rights. Among the nations receiving Canada’s international assistance through an agency is the West African nation of Mali. In a collaborative effort between the two nations, the Canadian International Development Agency has steered the bilateral development programs seeking to address the underlying challenges facing the people of Mali. Programs such as the Country Development Program Framework (CDPF) have played a significant role in trying to achieve both the nation’s and the agency’s development goals. Provided herein is an analysis of Canada’s international assistance to Mali while putting more emphasis on the period between 2006 and 2011.
Background Information on Canada’s International Aid to Mali
In 1962 the two nations, Canada and Mali formed diplomatic relations and laid out the collaborative development framework a decade later under the stewardship of the of CIDA  (Canada, 2017). As a young developing nation, Mali faced various challenges that condemned a majority of its citizens to abstract poverty necessitating the need for international assistance from the developed world such as Canada. However, the bilateral agreement for cooperation in the development assistance established in 1972 was enacted in 1984 after the two nations signed the General Agreement on Development Cooperation  (Agency, 2007). CIDA has since developed some programs geared for the development of the host nation periodic targets and goals towards improving the local people’s quality of life. The period between 2006 and 2011 falls under the agency’s development program for the 2000 to 2010 period coupled with the following initiatives for the following timeframe. The development interventions created during the decade-long period form the basis for the analysis of the study period.
Mali ranks among one of the poorest nations in the world with a 2004 survey on the proliferation of poverty, indicating that 64% of the people were living on less than $1 per day (Agency, 2007). The nation’s regional economic imbalances, gender inequality across various developmental aspects, high maternal mortality rates, poor healthcare facilities, and food insecurity further fuelled the poverty crisis. A dissection of the highlighted challenges established the underlying factors contributing to the deterioration of the situation to be political instability or poor governance, an unreliable educational system, and poor infrastructure leading to inaccessibility of primary health care services. Other factors influencing the spread of poverty in Mali include lack of access to financial assistance by the local farmers and slow implementation of reforms by the various government institutions from which the citizens would seek the required assistance.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) main objective is to eradicate poverty in such countries through a comprehensive approach touching on or rather addressing all the contributing factors. However, the agency’s development agenda for the nation focused on reducing both inequality and poverty, especially among the marginalized members of the society such as the women and youth  (Agency, 2007). The latter makes for the majority of the nation with approximately 47.6% of the population being under the age of 15 years (Canada, 2017). The various programs implemented since the signing of the development cooperation agreement in 1984 build around four primary areas of concern to the nation. The areas of focus include the improvement of sexual and reproductive health for women and girls through enhanced quality education and training, economic growth through increased agricultural productivity, promotion of human rights and democratic governance, and the promotion of gender equality attracting more emphasis from the agency CITATION Gov17 \l 2057 (Canada, 2017). Achieving the positive outcomes in the outlined areas of concern led to the implementation of the agency’s 2000-2010 Country Development Programming Framework (CDPF). The study period falls within the implementation period of the program’s objectives across the outlined areas and whose impact determines the efficiency of the agency’s development interventions in Mali.
Analysis of the CIDA Development Program in Mali (2006-2011)
The Country Development Programming Framework (CDPF) developed by CIDA and approved by both the agency and the government of Mali in the year 2000 accounts for study period’s evaluation. The objectives of the development framework sought to address the underlying challenges facing the nation at the time, which propelled the poverty levels of its citizens. The interventional program aligned itself with the nation’s interest of poverty eradication by highlighting and putting more emphasis on enhancing the accessibility to health and educational services, facilitating the growth of household income, and reducing insecurity through the promotion of peace, government accountability, and respect for the rule of law (Agency, 2007). The program also served to promote gender equality, environmental protection and sustainability, and encouraging the decentralization of key structures in the volatile Northern region  2057 (Agency, 2007). Collectively, the objectives would serve to alleviate the effect of the outlined factors found to be contributing to Mali’s high rate of poverty. However, the development framework consisted of two strategic implementation periods with each using a different approach to achieve both the nation’s and the agency’s objectives. The study period for evaluation covers the second part of the strategic development framework whose main objective was to promote the growth of income and poverty reduction (Agency, 2007). The growth and poverty reduction framework 2007/2011 was the product of the government of Mali’s decision to change its strategy for fighting poverty by promoting the growth of household income and economic development  (Agency, 2007). The government’s strategy concentrated on the development of economic infrastructures and improving the nation’s production and manufacturing sector, which contradicted the agency’s strategy of enhancing the social factors as the basis for poverty eradication. External influences such as compliance with Canada’s foreign aid policies or official development assistance (ODA) led to various changes to CIDA’s development programming framework. The changes also affected the effective delivery of the development assistance to Mali by the agency as they differed with the host nation’s strategic approach towards poverty eradication. Nevertheless, the program had positive impacts across the social sectors and areas of focus contributing to increased poverty in Mali during the study period.
Impact of the Program
The impact of the agency&rs...