Mali's Top Leader Speaks on Reform

Flanked by at least six U.S. secret service agents, a dozen Malian officials, several Cambridge police officers, two stretch limousines and a ten-car motorcade, Mali Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita arrived on the Kennedy School of Government campus yesterday afternoon.

Wearing a small wooden lapel pin that symbolizes Mali's historic move towards democracy, Keita emphasized the need for increased democratization and economic reform in Africa at a luncheon in the Kennedy School's Taubman Center.

Professors joined staff members of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) to comprise Keita's audience of more than 30.

"I am firmly committed to the democratic process and am doing my best so that my country will be a model for other countries," said Keita, the head of government in the West African country of about 10 million. "African leaders should do their job with integrity and a deep commitment to their convictions."

After delivering his introductory comments the prime minister initiated an open discussion, most of which was conducted in French, the Malian national language.

Bringing increased political stability to Africa, the prime minister said, is essential to encourage investment from foreign countries.

"We need to build our economy on a solid basis," Keita said. "We need to promote the private sector and provide jobs for our youth, so that they won't feel disappointed by democracy."

Keita also emphasized the need for integration and cooperation among African nations, citing the characteristic lack of large markets which makes it difficult for individual nations to attract significant outside capital.

Keita, who has held his post since 1994, said he was especially honored to visit Harvard because of his efforts to develop a national university in Mali.

Earlier in the day the prime minister, along with two of his cabinet members, met with Harvard Provost Albert Carnesale to discuss university education and possible student exchange programs with Harvard.

Mali's government currently places post-secondary students in separate vocational institutes on the basis of test scores, said Adam S. Thiam, a fellow at HCPDS.

Keita's visit to Harvard is the first in a three-stop tour of the Americas. Today, the prime minister leaves for Bogota, Colombia to attend the Summit of Non-Alignment Nations. On Oct. 25, Keita will address the United Nations General Assembly on the progress of democratization in Africa.

The Malian government, based upon the French political system, has both a prime minister and a president at its helm. The prime minister is the more influential of the two government leaders, said Rita M. Breen, executive officer for the Committee on African Studies.

The prime minister's stay, the first official visit of a Malian official to Harvard, resulted from the invitation of K. Anthony Appiah, chair of the Committee for African Studies.

"Africa needs a new image. As an example of this new image, what better than the government of Mali and his excellency?" Appiah said. "Not only do they have impressive intentions, but what they are actually doing in Mali is equally impressive."

According to the prime minister, Mali will continue to strengthen its young democracy as well as its relationship with the United States.

"On the 10th of December...I faced a public audience on the subject of human rights. It was the hardest day of my life," Keita said.

"Two days later," he added, "I took a trip to Mauritania and an official told me that [by discussing the issue] I had begun something which indeed makes difficult work for us all.

Mali's government currently places post-secondary students in separate vocational institutes on the basis of test scores, said Adam S. Thiam, a fellow at HCPDS.

Keita's visit to Harvard is the first in a three-stop tour of the Americas. Today, the prime minister leaves for Bogota, Colombia to attend the Summit of Non-Alignment Nations. On Oct. 25, Keita will address the United Nations General Assembly on the progress of democratization in Africa.

The Malian government, based upon the French political system, has both a prime minister and a president at its helm. The prime minister is the more influential of the two government leaders, said Rita M. Breen, executive officer for the Committee on African Studies.

The prime minister's stay, the first official visit of a Malian official to Harvard, resulted from the invitation of K. Anthony Appiah, chair of the Committee for African Studies.

"Africa needs a new image. As an example of this new image, what better than the government of Mali and his excellency?" Appiah said. "Not only do they have impressive intentions, but what they are actually doing in Mali is equally impressive."

According to the prime minister, Mali will continue to strengthen its young democracy as well as its relationship with the United States.

"On the 10th of December...I faced a public audience on the subject of human rights. It was the hardest day of my life," Keita said.

"Two days later," he added, "I took a trip to Mauritania and an official told me that [by discussing the issue] I had begun something which indeed makes difficult work for us all.