HOW WILL FRANCE BE ABLE TO MEET THE POPULATIONS’ NEEDS

THE SAHEL ALLIANCE: AN OPPORTUNITY?

In July 2017, spurred by France and Germany, the Sahel Alliance has been created as a space for cooperation between some donors and the G5 Sahel countries. The geographical borders of the Alliance cover the following countries of the G5 Sahel: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. Total, 7,5 billion Euros are to be invested before 2023 in order to fund about 500 development projects within six priority areas: young people’s employability and education – agriculture, rural development and food security – energy and climate – governance, decentralization and basic services – homeland security.

The aim carried out by the Sahel Alliance of redesigning a new development through more effective and coordinated actions between the funders is to be acknowledged. Yet, except the objective of fostering the cooperation between the funders and the countries of the G5 Sahel, it is hard today to figure out to what tangible extent the Sahel Alliance will constitute a new development opportunity for the Sahel region.

First, because at the exception of the 7.5 billion Euros of identified projects, there is no intent from the funders to commit any additional funding toward the Sahelian countries to address the humanitarian crises and to deal with the development stakes. This means that an approach based on the development and humanitarian stakes is a prerequisite, in default of an approach based on security and development stakes.

The six chosen areas, which constitute the investment pillars, represent true opportunities to tackle the demographic, social and economic stakes and poverty as well. However, the chosen indicators do not always overlap with the field reality, and can hardly be measurable. Some essential stakes do not appear in the approach fostered by the Sahel Alliance, such as the inclusion of malnutrition or of gender.