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On August 20, 2006, the Minister of International Cooperation, the Honourable Josée Verner, arrived in Mali—embarking on her first official visit to Africa. As she is also the Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages, this trip allowed her to combine her interests given that Mali is not only one of Canada’s long-standing partners but is also a country of La Francophonie.
During her three-day stay Minister Verner met with President Amadou Toumani Touré, Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi Maiga, and other government ministers and senior officials to talk about Canada’s relationship with Mali. Ongoing progress made by Mali on key 
The people of Sanankoroba welcome
Minister Verner into their community by offering
her the gift of water – a token of their
appreciation. (Sanankoroba, August 22, 2006)
More photos…
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development issues such as basic health care, good governance, micro-finance and education were discussed. These meetings gave the Minister an opportunity to outline future Canadian initiatives that will contribute to Mali’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
While in Mali, Minister Verner visited a number of projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
 Scheduled Field Visits
Among many other scheduled activities, Minister Verner visited the small village of Sanankoroba—the same community that offered the equivalent of $100 to the municipality of St-Elizabeth, Quebec, to help cope with the aftermath of the 1998 ice storm. When the people of Sanankoroba found out that this Quebec community—their counterpart in a CIDA municipality-twining project—needed help, they did not hesitate to contribute all the money they could afford to give back to a community that had once helped them during their own natural disaster a few years back.
The Minister also had a guided tour of one of the member establishments within the Nyèsigiso savings and credit union network, where she set up her own symbolic account. With strong financial support from CIDA and technical support from Développement international Desjardins, this institution is helping Malians, particularly women; improve their livelihoods while supporting Mali’s micro-finance sector.
Finally, the Minister also met with Canadians living in Mali to find out how they are making a difference to the country.
Find out How Canada is Helping Mali
Canada’s Commitment to Africa
- Africa Overview–outlines CIDA’s programming in Africa
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