On 18 June 2025, the Ambassador of Italy to Mali, Stefano A. Dejak, met with the Minister for Malians abroad and African integration, Mossa Ag Attaher, to discuss Italy–Mali cooperation in the fight against irregular migration flows. Italy has contributed, and continues to contribute, through targeted programmes – primarily via the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – to addressing the phenomenon, while also supporting several projects aimed at creating employment opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector, as a growing alternative to migration.
Minister Ag Attaher presented to Ambassador Dejak the upcoming International Forum of the Diaspora entitled “Perspectives and challenges for a diaspora at the heart of national economic development”, which is scheduled to take place in Bamako from 17 to 19 July.
Building on existing cooperation in this area, Italy is among the countries invited by the Minister to actively participate in the Forum, which aims to serve as a multiplier for productive investments stemming from the significant financial flows made available to Mali by its diaspora abroad – including the Malian community in Italy, which Minister Ag Attaher visited last month.
On the Italian side, a newly approved four-million-euro project is currently being implemented, entitled “I Invest in Mali: Support to youth employment and development of small and medium enterprises in rural areas”.
The project includes a specific component dedicated to engaging the Malian diaspora in Italy in the co-financing and technical collaboration with the economic stakeholders supported by the initiative. Through this component, the Malian diaspora in Italy will be able to provide a crucial technical, financial, and human contribution to the implementation of economic support projects in the intervention regions.
In this way, the Malian diaspora in Italy will also be able to make a tangible and collective contribution to the development of job opportunities in Mali as a viable alternative to migration.
