Mali

DVV International has been active in Mali since 2008. Since 2012, DVV International’s West Africa regional office has been located in the capital, Bamako; and was converted into a country office in 2026. The current security crisis in the country is due in large part to political instability. Both the struggling economy and poor security situation has had a devastating effect on the level of education, and the central challenge therefore remains not only to prevent the educational level in Mali from being exacerbated by the crisis and rising demographics, but also to improve educational levels again overall. Non-formal and catch-up education programmes for young people and adults are therefore more important than ever.

In 2019, the national ten-year programme for the development of the education sector up to 2028 was adopted and in 2026 supplemented by its own adult education policy. This programme also includes the area of adult learning and non-formal education. However, funding for the budget earmarked for adult learning and education (ALE) has not yet been secured. However, unlike before, there is now a greater awareness of the issue, thanks in part to the commitment of DVV International.

Main focus of work

The work of DVV International in Mali helps to ensure that state and civil society actors recognise the important contribution of ALE to improving the level of education, the social, economic, political and cultural development of the country and to solving the crisis in Mali. DVV is further committed to helping all state and civil actors to invest materially and immaterially in the education sector.
With this objective, DVV International in Mali is focused on the following areas:

• Integration of the adult education approaches developed by DVV International and its partners into Mali’s adult education system, particularly the municipal adult education centers
• Support for Malian stakeholders in independently continuing cross-sectoral and inter-ministerial coordination to further develop the adult education system, particularly within the framework of the national consultative body and the Association of Adult Education Centers (RCECM).
• Providing further training for adult education stakeholders so that they can independently continue the work of further developing and improving Mali’s adult education system starting in mid-2027.

Partners

At the national level, the Ministry of Education is DVV International’s key partner, particularly the Directorate for Non-Formal Education and the Promotion of National Languages. In addition, DVV International cooperates with local and civil society organizations that run adult education centers in the Koulikoro region and in Bamako.