Global 3000 # Immigration Innovation - A European Immigration Center in Mali # 13.07.2009

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, and has the highest immigration rates to Europe in Africa. One third of the population lives outside the country, most of them in other African countries. But many are willing to risk their lives to reach Europe, and last october, the EU has established its first immigration center outside its own borders, in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The first center of its kind in Africa, CIGEM is a pilot project which is intended to reduce the number of West Africans illegally immigrating to Europe but also aims to boost development in Mali.