Project to Support the Competitiveness of the Malian Economy (PACEM)

The program aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Malian businesses by providing targeted support to business support organizations and SMEs to improve their performance, innovation capacity, and positioning in national and international markets. It focuses on professionalizing economic actors, facilitating access to business opportunities, structuring value chains, and developing tailored support services. The overall objective is to create a more favorable environment for entrepreneurship, support the growth of productive businesses, and encourage their contribution to the country's economic dynamism.

• Increase private investment Increase the private investment rate from 11% of GDP in 2017 to 14% in 2022. This objective aims to boost private sector participation in Mali's economic growth. The PACEM program supports structural reforms, the simplification of administrative procedures, legal and land tenure security, and the creation of one-stop shops to facilitate investment. • Increase exports Increase the share of goods and services exports from 20% of GDP in 2016 to 22% in 2022. The objective is to diversify Mali's exports, which are still too dependent on a few products such as cotton and gold. The program supports the promotion of non-traditional exports, the strengthening of trade capacities, and the compliance of products with international standards. • Improve the economy's competitiveness Increase the overall competitiveness index (CGI) from 3.4 in 2017 to 4.5 in 2022. The PACEM program addresses the structural factors that hinder competitiveness: poor infrastructure quality, bureaucratic delays, and a lack of economic diversification. • Strengthen SMEs and exports in the livestock/meat sector Support at least ten exporting SMEs in the livestock/meat sector, 30% of which must be women-owned, and promote the creation of 20,000 jobs (15% of which must be held by women). This component reflects the inclusive nature of the PACEM program.