Respect for Planning Tools and Disparities in the Access of Populations to Basic Social Services in the Circle of Koutiala

Abstract

After a short reminder of the types of planning tools that exist in the Circle of Koutiala, this article presents the situation on the consistency of planning tools. Then, it makes the link between respect for planning tools and the disparity in access of populations to basic social services (health, education, water, electricity, etc.). Non-compliance with the guidelines of planning tools is measured through the population’s access to basic social services (health, education, water, electricity, etc.) in 10 municipalities in the Circle. After analysis, it turned out that, in the Circle of Koutiala as elsewhere in Mali, planning specifically faced several weaknesses. As such, we can note that the growing gap between the plans and the real economic decision-making process of communities, and even of the State, making planning tools mere documents left in drawers. As a result, the objectives set were rarely achieved at the level of economic and even social expectations. This article also presents the inter and intra communal disparity that exists in the Circle of Koutiala where one thing is to salute the efforts made by the State and the Communities to improve the living environment of the populations of the city of Koutiala and another one is to deplore the timid construction of infrastructure/equipment in the other towns of the Circle.