Mali: Communiqué from the Council of Ministers of Wednesday, March 27, 2024 – Africa Links 24

The Council of Ministers met in an ordinary session on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in its deliberation room at the Palace of Koulouba, under the presidency of Colonel Assimi GOITA, President of the Transition, Head of State. After examining the items on the agenda, the Council:

– adopted draft texts; made appointments and heard communications.

LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY MEASURES

1. On the report of the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft ordinance amending Law No. 04-038 of August 5, 2004, relating to associations. An association is an agreement by which several persons permanently combine their knowledge or activities for a purpose other than sharing profits. It is governed, as to its validity, by the general principles of law applicable to contracts and obligations.

Law No. 04-038 of August 5, 2004, relating to associations states that associations of persons may be formed freely without prior authorization or declaration, but they will only have legal capacity if they are made public by their founders.

In practice, the failure to declare certain associations leads to the proliferation of associations of all kinds, with no control by the State, making it very difficult to enforce the law. The adopted draft ordinance will subject all associations to the administrative formality of authorization and prior declaration and facilitate the necessary control by the State. Its implementation does not infringe on the free formation of associations provided for by the Constitution.

2. On the report of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Keeper of the Seals, the Council of Ministers adopted draft decrees appointing notaries. A notary is a public officer established to provide the public service of proof.

Ordinance No. 2013-027/P-RM of December 31, 2013, on the status of notaries determines the conditions for access to the notary profession, the procedures for managing the vacancies and transfer of notarial duties. In accordance with the provisions of this ordinance and with the formal approval of the Order of Notaries, the draft decrees appoint as notaries the following aspiring notaries:

– Mrs. Aïssata SIDIBE and Mr. Mohamed KOUMARE, residing in Bamako;

– Mrs. Fatoumata COULIBALY, residing in Bamako;

– Mr. Bakary Simbon KEÏTA, residing in Bamako;

– Mr. Lamine Bassirou DIOP, residing in Bamako;

– Mr. Issa SY, residing in Bamako.

INDIVIDUAL MEASURES

The Council of Ministers made the following appointments:

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, PEACE AND NATIONAL COHESION

– Technical Advisor: Colonel Firefighter Fatoumata Bakoroba COULIBALY.

MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

– Chief of Staff: Mr. Ahmadou FANE, Professor of Higher Education.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

– Technical Advisor: Mr. Brahima KONATE, Engineer of Agriculture and Rural Engineering.

MINISTRY OF URBAN PLANNING, HOUSING, LAND, TERRITORIAL PLANNING AND POPULATION

– Director General of Land and Cadastre: Mr. Youssouf COULIBALY, Civil Engineering Engineer.

COMMUNICATIONS

1. The Prime Minister, Head of Government, informed the Council of Ministers of the repeal of decrees relating to the institutional architecture put in place to promote Peace and National Reconciliation within the framework of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers process. The texts affected by this repeal are:

– the texts establishing, organizing and functioning as well as those fixing the benefits granted to members of the institutional framework of the Security Sector Reform and the permanent Secretariat of the Crisis Management framework in the Center;

– the decrees of appointment within the institutional framework of the Security Sector Reform. This repeal is proposed following the Government’s decision to terminate the Agreement with immediate effect.

2. The Minister of Agriculture informed the Council of Ministers:

a. of Mali’s participation in the 33rd Ministerial Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa, scheduled from April 18 to 20, 2024, in Rabat, Morocco. The Directorate-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is organizing the 33rd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa under the theme: “Resilient Agri-food Systems and Inclusive Rural Transformation.”

The meeting is open to all FAO member states in the Africa Region, representatives of UN specialized organizations and institutions, as well as observers. Mali’s participation in this important event will be a real opportunity for exchange of experiences and partnership with development partners and multinational companies, for the implementation of programs and projects aimed at accelerating the transformation of agri-food systems and supporting rural development.

b. about the Organization of the 14th Session of the Superior Council of Agriculture.

The Departments of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries and the Commission for Food Security annually prepare, in accordance with the provisions of the Agricultural Orientation Law, the harmonized and consolidated Agricultural Campaign Plan document. This participatory document addresses the review of the 2023 Agricultural Campaign and the three-year plan for the 2024-2026 Agricultural Campaign. It defines a set of objectives, activities, coherent strategies, indicators for measuring results, and financial resources intended to promote agricultural activities.

The Agricultural Campaign Plan will be submitted to the 14th Session of the Superior Council of Agriculture. Its implementation will contribute to achieving objectives related to food sovereignty and security, improving the income of farmers, and reducing poverty.

3. The Minister of Women, Children, and Family Promotion informed the Council of Ministers:

a. about the celebration of the March 8, International Women’s Day, 2024 edition. The Minister of Women, Children, and Family Promotion informed the Council of Ministers about the celebration of International Women’s Day, under the dual theme, internationally “Investing in Women, Accelerating the Pace” and nationally “Women’s Representation in Public and Political Life: Challenges, Issues, and Perspectives.”

Held on March 8, 2024, at the Amadou Hampaté Ba Cultural Palace and chaired by the President of the Transition, Head of State, the national ceremony was marked by speeches from political and administrative authorities, civil society organizations, and technical and financial partners, as well as the parade of women representatives from the country’s ten (19) regions and the district of Bamako.

b. about Mali’s participation in the 68th Statutory Conference of the UN Economic and Social Council’s Commission on the Status of Women. The 68th session of the Statutory Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women of the UN Economic and Social Council was held from March 11 to 22, 2024, in New York at the UN headquarters.

The work of this session focused mainly on the theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by combating poverty and strengthening institutions and funding from a gender perspective.”

Mali actively participated, with highlights such as:

– Mali’s statement on the main theme;

– the production and presentation of a report on the evaluation theme, namely “social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls”;

– organizing and participating in panels;

– holding bilateral and multilateral meetings with Mali’s friendly countries and partners.

4. The Minister of Health and Social Development informed the Council of Ministers of the country’s epidemiological situation marked, in particular, by:

a. a stagnation in the number of confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus compared to the previous week.

b. an increase in the number of confirmed cases of dengue compared to that of the previous week.

The President of the Transition, Head of State, called on the population to strictly respect the measures for prevention and control of diseases.

Bamako, March 27, 2024

The Secretary-General of the Government, Birama COULIBALY