Mali: The government aims to address the roots of begging, here's how

Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga launched the operational phase of Mali's national strategy against begging for 2026-2028 in Bamako, focusing on addressing social factors. The policy emphasizes prevention and child protection, aiming to reduce forced begging, which affects at least 2.4 million children according to UNICEF. The plan is based on four pillars: economic development, family responsibility, regulation of Quranic schools, and integrating religious education into the national system. These measures favor a social response over repression, with a budget exceeding 5 billion CFA francs.