Six months after Mali's interim authorities decided to block all French public funding for non-governmental organisations operating in the country, RFI spoke to workers on the ground about how they are managing.
Out of 294 NGOs – local and international – operating in Mali when the transitional authorities imposed the ban on 21 November 2022, around 40 were French.
It was just one of the results of the souring of relations between France and Mali after the 2020 coup led by Colonel Assimi Goïta.
The interim government did not ban all French NGOs working in Mali, but only activities supported financially or materially by the French government, which funds overseas aid work through its French Development Agency (AFD).
France's embassy in Mali did not confirm to RFI how many French aid groups are still operating in the country now.
But those that remain have had to seek various ways to overcome the loss of funding, some more successful than others.
For security reasons, the people interviewed and their organisations are not disclosed.
Alternative funding
“Out of all the programmes that we put on hold [from November 2022], we only had to stop one of them altogether,” a director of a large humanitarian French NGO working in north and central Mali told RFI’s David Baché.
Around 30 percent of its funding used to come from the AFD and has now been replaced by funds from other sources, namely the European Union.
The aid group had to slightly reduce the number of French employees, but did not sack any Malian staff.
After toying with the idea of leaving Mali altogether, its director told RFI that he was confident the NGO could continue working in the country.
Projects interrupted
Other organisations say the consequences have been more severe.
“Six months ago we had to stop all AFD-funded programmes. That’s around 30 to 40 percent of our total activities in the country. And we still have not been able to resume them,” the director of an international NGO involved in food and medical emergency work told RFI.
The organisation contacted other donors who declined to replace the AFD’s funding.
“As a result, we have not been able to drill wells, which in turn poses problems to accessing clean water and increases the risks of various diseases,” the director added.
“We also planned to provide lighting to health centres so that they can stay open in the evening. This, as well as a number of other things, will not happen.
“We hope we’ll be able to fill the funding gap next year.”
Real-world consequences
Local aid groups that relied on French funding have also been affected.
“Twenty-five per cent of our funds came from France,” the manager of one Malian health NGO told RFI.
“Thanks to other donors, we’ve finally managed to resume 60 percent of the activities we suspended. But 40 percent of our activities are still completely stopped.
“We are looking for alternative means of funding but we know, for sure, that we will not be able to continue some of our work. It is a real pity as this affects people’s lives.”
It is proving difficult for NGOs to find suitable substitutes for the AFD, as the French agency mostly focuses on long-term projects and not emergency aid.
Some of Malian NGOs report that they have had to dismiss some of their local staff.
Time-consuming bureaucracy
The Malian authorities are strict about transparency when it comes to NGOs' funding.
Six months ago, Mali's transitional government set up a commission, attached to the Ministry of Territorial Administration, whose role is to closely monitor the funding of all NGOs based in Mali and ensure that the French ban is respected.
“Each month, we have to show financial reports and contracts to the local authorities, to the governor’s office and to the central administration. It’s a lot of work!” said the head of an international NGO's office in Mali.
“It means that every month we spend several working days, travel long distances and use human and logistical resources to produce the documents required instead of doing our job in the field.”
The humanitarian staff who spoke to RFI admit that, though they may have been some delays in obtaining authorisations on time, so far they have not been prevented from doing their work.
However, some expressed concern about what all the data they provide to the authorities could be used for in future – as a means to pressure or even stop humanitarian programmes altogether.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration declined RFI's request for comment.
