The Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development organized the official launch ceremony for the activities of the Degraded Lands Restoration Project in Mali (PRTD – MALI) on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at the Radisson Collection Hotel in Bamako (ex Sheraton). The event, which was chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr. Choguel Kokalla MAIGA, was marked by the presence of many ministers and actors in the field, as well as the Director of Operations of the World Bank in Mali, Ms. Clara De Sousa.

In Mali, nearly 90 per cent of households depend on firewood and charcoal for their energy needs. More than 100,000 ha of forest land is lost each year, much more than the annual reforested area estimated at only 10,000 ha. For example, out of the 32 million hectares of forests listed in Mali in 1985, only about 17.4 million hectares remain.

According to Mali 2020's National Neutrality Plan for Land Degradation, cultivated land is increasingly affected by wind erosion, chemical degradation, physical soil degradation, biological degradation and runoff degradation. This degradation, resulting from the loss of land cover and pollution, costs more than 31 per cent of GDP per year in Mali.

Therefore, in response to all these problems, the Government of Mali, with the technical and financial support of the World Bank, initiated the Project for the Restoration of Degraded Lands in Mali (PRTD-Mali), whose financing agreement of 130 million euro, or just over 90 billion CFA, was signed on 7 June 2023 and the effective implementation on 10 January 2024.

For example, the Mali Degraded Land Restoration Project (PRTD-Mali) aims to increase the adoption of climate-smart degraded land restoration practices and increase access to income opportunities in Mali.

Indeed, its ambition is to restore the natural, social and cultural capital of the targeted areas in a sustainable manner. The project opted for a resolutely innovative, transformative and multi-sectoral approach to integrated landscape management. This approach aims to achieve social, economic and environmental objectives simultaneously through activities designed at the grass-roots level, while at the same time promoting the transition from a management mode to a mode of governance focused on the democratization of social and environmental issues. This project is therefore distinguished by several innovations that will not only achieve the objectives set, as it is based on the basic foundations of sustainable development, emphasizing the need to think globally and act locally.

In his speech, the Minister of the Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, Mr Mamadou SAMAKE, stated that « PRTD will reach 2.3 million beneficiaries in 87 municipalities (Kayes, Kita, Nioro, Koulikoro, Nara, Ségou, Douentza and Mopti regions) targeted on the basis of the vulnerability index ».

De son côté, la Directrice des Opérations de la Banque mondiale, Mme Clara De SOUSA, a affirmé que ce projet revêt une importance toute particulière, car il incarne une approche résolument novatrice et prometteuse. » Ce projet permettra au Mali d’avoir des informations supplémentaires sur ses ressources à travers les plans d’aménagement forestiers, pastoureaux et ceux de la pêche qui seront élaborés et mis en œuvre. Il s’agit d’une activité stratégique, structurante et innovante à plusieurs égards. » A-t-elle expliqué. Pour finir, elle a réaffirmé la constante disponibilité et l’engagement de la Banque mondiale à accompagner le Mali dans ses efforts de développement pour le bien-être de la population vulnérable.

Le Premier ministre, le Dr Choguel Kokalla MAIGA a déclaré que le Projet de Restauration des Terres dégradées au Mali renforce l’équilibre global entre la commodité et la qualité de vie des populations. Selon lui, il s’agit de stimuler le développement tout en réservant un avenir meilleur aux futures générations, rappelant que les questions liées à l’environnement et le développement durable sont des enjeux majeurs pour les autorités de la Transition.

D’une durée de 7 ans (de janvier 2024 à octobre 2030), le PRTD investira dans le développement régional intégré et l’autonomisation des populations locales dans la gestion des ressources, la création d’emplois pour les jeunes qualifiés et non qualifiés, la diversification et l’augmentation de la valeur ajoutée des ressources et produits des zones ciblées, ainsi que leur préservation.