Friday, February 15, 2018,
Kati, Mali – Ambassador Paul A. Folmsbee opened the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Annual Review of the Mali Sub-National Governance Program (SNGP), noting, “The Malian government’s decentralizing of public financial management will continue to pave the way for a more democratic, resilient and prosperous life for present and future generations in Mali.” The purpose of the annual review was to present key achievements and results of the program over the last year and to discuss how to overcome future challenges and improve the performance of the program in 2018 and 2019.
The Mali SNGP is a five-year $23 million-dollar program that began in 2015 and is implemented by TETRA TECH ARD, Inc. The project supports the government of Mali in policy reform and decentralization initiatives through technical assistance and institutional support at central and regional levels.
Noting the volatile security situation in the central and northern regions, which has significantly limited the program’s access to the most vulnerable communities, Ambassador Folmsbee urged Malian citizens and civil society organizations to join governmental efforts to address these challenges to financial decentralization, especially in the areas of education and health, where basic social services are at stake.
Ambassador Folmsbee underscored the United States’ commitment to the successful implementation of the program, saying, “We hope that the SNGP and the efforts to decentralize key government functions will enable all regions of Mali to develop socially and economically and will help Mali regain its past standing as a champion of democracy in West Africa.”
A pillar of the SNGP is integrating gender equality and women’s participation in the implementation with a focus on Public Financial Management (PFM) which consists of three main objectives: to strengthen national and regional PFM systems; to improve coordination and communication between national and sub-national government and civil society, and to improve the capacity of the Contrôle Général des Services Publics (CGSP) to conduct performance audits that meet international standards, and to monitor public spending and service delivery at the national and sub national levels.
The project is being implemented in seven regions: Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, Gao, and Timbuktu, as well as the Bamako District. As the security situation evolves, the SNGP is gradually scaling up to Kidal through the Regional Development Agency and the newly created regions of Menaka and Tessalit by incorporating them into program activities as a strategy for achieving nation-wide coverage to improve access to all citizens to governmental benefits and support.
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