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Mali, located in West Africa, used to be a relatively stable nation and one of its main sources of income was tourists, mainly from western countries. This influx of foreign money didn’t make the majority of the population rich by any means, but it helped maintain at least one industry in the country. As noted in the article, even foreigners had opened businesses catering to tourists.
All this changed, however, after a coup in April of this year. Soldiers deposed the president and Mali hasn’t been the same since. Foreign governments, including the US, France and UK continue to advise citizens against travel to Mali and rebels still control two-thirds of the country. Even power in the government-controlled areas is tenuous. As a result, tourism in the country has dropped dramatically, creating an even bigger economic hardship in a country where many were struggling to begin with. The director of a museum near the capital said the lack of tourists was creating “an economic disaster.”
Political stability is one key to creating a viable economic environment for the citizens of a country. While Mali wasn’t booming to begin with, a military coup is calamitous for people struggling to make a living. Building a state is difficult and takes time and it is the ordinary citizens that struggle the most. With such uncertainty in Mali and multiple groups controlling different parts of the country, the legitimacy of any of them is likely questioned by the population. This adds further to the problems in a country and certainly will contribute to keeping tourists, and their valuable money, away.
Image from Wikipedia.
Article from The Economist.
While tourism serves as a primary facet of Mali's economic growth, an influx of NGOs, diplomatic missions, and other non-profit based business organizations can help to correct Mali's economic course. However, the fragmentation of power taking place in the country right now prevents political stability and civil safety from improving. It's important to note that a portion of the governing body in the north of Mali has supposed links to Islamist fundamentalist terrorist organizations - further augmenting the unattractive climate in the nation and thus making it very unlikely that additional economic development actors will involve themselves in Mali anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteThe World Bank ranks Mali at 146 (out of 183) in ease of "Doing Business". It is likely this ranking will fall even more when the data is collated for the next year, in light of what has happened in this state.
Ref:
1) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/us-mali-crisis-idUSBRE85R15720120628
2)http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/mali/
The tourism in Mali reminds me of the tourism rate in cities here in the US, especially New York City. If you think about it, NYC gains a ton of revenue each year by the number of people coming to the city to experience the "Big Apple." One specific example is Canal Street. The vendors on that street make all of their money selling various things, everything from knock-off purses to pirated movies. Other examples of how NYC gains its income is through tours, broadway shows, and even the museums. Just like how the coup in Mali reduced the number of people coming to visit the country, September 11th put a serious hold on the revenues for NYC. A large difference here is that Mali is still full of rebel forces and the government has been unable to get the country back to what it was before the coup. After 9/11, it took some time before people started to travel there for vacations, but new things like Ground Zero helped to draw much attention. Another huge difference that was pointed out above is the idea of political stability. The US has a stable government, while Mali's seems to be in shambles. It will be interesting to see what their government decides to do in order to get their visitors back and revenues up again.
ReplyDeleteJeff-
ReplyDeleteI like your approach to the issue in Mali and much appreciate your use of hyperlinks in formatting- it gives your post an air of professionalism. It makes for a good read with a unique perspective on the troubles in Mali.
The state of Mali's economy is not a priority when its political structure is divided and a cause for war. With a surging al Qaeda agenda in the north that is of special interest to the U.S. and other countries in North Africa theres likelihood of interstate conflict. While its interesting to discuss the domestic plight of the country, of greater importance is Mali's role on the international stage amid increasing instability in the Middle East.
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