France: New start for codevelopment initiatives needed

The overall results of international development governmental policies are often considered as disappointing. As pointed out by an association dedicated to the economic development of the Republic of Senegal, entrepreneurship and motivation are the basic factors that underlie the economic development. This is the reason why the concept of codevelopment needs to be much more implemented, with the active participation of migrants living in France. The outcomes from the current Mali experimentation seem to open new perspectives. The French government has just issued a report on the positive results of the codevelopment with Mali, and is keen to back new initiatives of this kind at the EU level. FSP codéveloppement Mali, implemented since 2002, aims to finance projects supported by French migrant associations, and to facilitate more exchanges between the two countries, especially involving youngsters. 350 individual projects have already received funding, and created 700 jobs in Mali. Other forms of co-operation could be encouraged with the assistance of new microcredit interventions targetting ACP countries. www.pseau.org