Policy Analysis of Mali

Every nation has a responsibility to its citizens to improve the economic, political and social well-being of its people. However, in the film Blood Diamond it is made clear that there is an exploitation of the people in Sierra Leone. This economic problem is fueled by three main concepts; poverty, production/resources and demand/supply. Through the analysis of the three main concepts it will be shown how the economic problem was the result of each sub-concept.

Another reason for increasing its agricultural sector is to end Algeria’s dependence on imports. In 1962, when Algeria gained its independence from France, the economy was primarily based on agriculture. In the last 40 years, other industries have eclipsed the importance of farming; the main industry being crude oil (Worldmark Encyclopedia). Algeria currently imports almost half of the food it consumes, and it is the world’s fifth largest importer of wheat (Reuters). However, steps have been recently made to reverse this trend. In August of this year, the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development launched a device to support the promotion of water-saving irrigation systems (ProQuest Newsstand/Algeria Press Service). Algeria’s agricultural production growth rate also exceeded 10% in the 2010-2011 season (Embassy of Algeria). Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Rachid Benaissa also stressed the importance of boosting agriculture. “We should make sure agriculture techniques and skills are applied more widely to achieve profitability and to make the sector’s modernization everyone’s concern” (ProQuest Newsstand/Algeria Press Service). Changes have also been emerging in fishing. Due to its location on

A huge part of the economics of the people of Mali is the Grande Marché in downtown Bamako. Basically, the Grande Marche is just a big market, where venders of all variety came to sell their goods. Another thing that plays a big part in the economics of Mali is the no-fixed rates on items. Unlike the United States where everything is not negotiable, in Mali, everything is and is encouraged, unless you’re a tourist without any background on the culture of Mali (Dettwyler 1994: 55).

Secondly, Mali’s productive administration brought extensive wealth to their economy. Money is key to success because it allows for expansion of land and new technology. According to British Museum, “Their authority became mighty. All the nations of Sahel stood in awe of them, and the merchants from North Africa travelled to their country” (Sheet 2, Source 5).

In order for Mali to trade with different civilizations they have to have supplies that the other civilizations would want. The chinese have silk which is really valuable so if the chinese don’t want supplies that the other civilizations sell, the chinese won’t sell them silk. What your going to be learning about is two different civilizations, The Silk Road, and the Mali people. In these civilizations there is history, geography, lasting impact, and trade. This essay talks about how these two civilizations are comparable.

The rulers of Ghana controlled the trade of their kingdom and collected taxes on salt from the north. From the south of the kingdom came gold that fed the king's wealth. This gold came from the Senegal and Niger rivers and was in great demand across the Sahara. Ghana was a sort of meeting place in which the north and the south traded. From the north came ceramics, glass, oil lamps, and salt, from the south came kola nuts,palm oil, copper, and gold. Ghana became a wealthy trading empire. Mali and Songhai were also affected because they neighbored Ghana so they were in similar circumstances. When they were at war and Mali took over the Ghana gold mines, they tried to establish salt trades. Several kings later the Songhai took over the gold mines

There are many myths that are often told about the origins of African civilization that make the civilization seen in a negative light; however, the empire of Mali is an excellent example of a positive light and demonstrates how African civilization helped influence the modern civilizations of the future. The Mali empire was founded by Sundiata Keita; it later became well-known for the wealth of the rulers of this empire. Thus, this empire became so great that it was a model to the rest of the African civilizations. However, the success of the Mali empire was always connected to how great the leader was. This stresses the importance of leadership and ambition in order to achieve success in African civilization. During the Middle Ages, the

The issue of hunger in africa has caused major chaos around the world. The fact that families and children are left to die because there is insufficient food; therefore, families are separated and left to suffer. For example, on page 1 of “Why Africa Is Still Starving”, by Alex Perry, it states that, “From January to May, the fields were parched and brown. And one failed harvest is enough to turn Ethiopia, a nation of 66 million farmers, a humanitarian catastrophe”. Alex Perry explains how the soil of Africa is not rich enough to grow any goods or rich crops.

Addressing the most important factor – lack of literacy – it can be noted that the education expenditures in Sierra Leone is 2.9% of GDP (2012)1. An increase in investment in the education system, and enforcement is the most effective way to increase literacy rates. In an interview with the International Monetary Fund, the question is posed: “Oil wealth is not always a blessing. In actual fact, countries like Nigeria have struggled in managing the resource effectively. How can the CEMAC countries avoid the pitfalls that other countries have fallen into? ” The simple answer given by Sharmini Coorey, Director of the IMF's Institute for Capacity Development replies; “Another important thing is investing in people. In the book, we focus on how to achieve inclusive growth and one of the most obvious and relatively easy ways of making inclusive growth is to spend your oil money on better health and education.17” In investing in the people, a country is investing in their future. Censorship isn’t generally accepted in Sierra Leone and so with the creation of privately owned newspaper, radio, and television companies, it allows the private owners to give people the unbiased, truthful and accurate news16. In the research done, my conclusion is that Sierra Leone has a good basis for media, however it is the literacy and monetary issues which hold

The large cash injection would then create a “greasing the gears effect” and allow for the jumpstart of economic development. Between the years of 1948 and 1952 the U.S. granted $13 billion to revamp the European economy (Dambisa, 2009: 35). This particular method achieved great success in post-World War II Europe and was known as the Marshall Plan. Due to its effective and unquestionable success in this era, the model was applied to economic development in Africa with the confidence that the same outstanding results would ensue. However, the application of the Marshall Plan to Africa is problematic for three reasons. One, the Marshall Plan had a rigid duration period of five years while, the concessional loans and grants to Africa over the last 50 years have been unending (Dambisa, 2009: 36). Two, European institutions were already in place to receive the aid efficiently and effectively. In Africa, however, these same institutions are either non-existent or grossly ineffective due to corruption (Dambisa, 2009: 37). The vast amounts of corruption have been heavily documented. Mobutu Sese Seko, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997, for example, stole an equivalent of U.S. 5 billion dollars from his people (Dambisa, 2009: 48). However, even the less corrupt rulers of many African countries had few options as to what to invest the aid money on. Consequently, the bulk concessional aid goes directly into consumption without a variety of investment outlets. This process does not solve the problem but instead, allows for the cycle to continue. Lastly, three, the money from the Marshal had specific targets to repair physical infrastructure such as, roads, communications, sewage, factories, and electric systems (Dambisa, 2009: 37) In Africa today, the scope of the

The Eastern Congo is considered a weak state because of the corruption, poverty and war. The Eastern Congo has a large amount of natural resources which should be an asset to the country, but war and rebel groups are feuding over these resources. The corruption and feud over these resources weakens that state. The Eastern Congo has a large amount of farmland that is not utilized and could be used to feed most of Africa, but conflict and control deter the people from utilizing the farmland[1]. The argument over these resources is ultimately affecting the civilians. Many of these disputes have existed for decades. I was astonished to hear that there have been 5.4 million deaths since 1994 in Eastern Congo, most of which are civilians and less

There are several countries which are located within the Combined Joint Task Force- Horn of Africa AOR. This paper will discuss the cultural influence of the Republic of Djibouti as well as its influence on bordering countries within its region. Additionally, this paper will portray Djibouti’s global significance and its effect on United States interest within the AOR. Historically, Djibouti’s strategic location and status as a free trade zone within the Horn of Africa has played a major role in this country’s importance throughout the globe. Hence, Djibouti maintains relationships with numerous countries and to date openly welcomes negotiations with other countries that can contribute to the country’s economic development. Continued

High and volatile global food prices along with rising energy prices are contributing factors to instability in economics in many countries. Some countries are turning to self-sufficiency in food and are also rebuilding their own public reserves because of fiasco of the international

The Chad Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project is one of the largest investments in the private sector in Africa that costs approximately US$3.7 billion. The project is being funded by the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation. The involvement of these two major financial institutions is a demonstration of the rationale that the project will generate revenue that will enable the Chad and Cameroonian governments to invest more in programs that focus on reducing poverty like rural employment, education, and health. The involvement of the International Financial Corporation will be geared towards accomplishing three major roles. These are long-term financing, stabilizing role, and uplifting the quality and standard of mitigation plans and environmental assessments.

Second largest country in Africa, tenth largest country in the world, diverse culture extending from the Mediterranean coast to the dunes of the Sahara Desert...Algeria. Even with its massive size the current status of Algeria’s economy is quivering in the lofty winds of the Tell Atlas Mountains. The economy tends to remain dominated by the state, which is accordingly a legacy of the country’s socialist post-independence development model. Hydrocarbons are the backbone for Algeria, accounting for 60% of budget revenues, 30% GDP, and 95% of export earnings. Reviewing the last five years we see the government halting privatization of state-owned industries, and increasing the restrictions of imports and foreign involvement. Algeria’s