EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ b. A people that have succeeded in developing faith in their own capacities, particularly their working capacity. c. Its role as a hub in the resolution of subregional crises because of the respectability of its leaders. d. Its great agro-pastoral potential, which should be developed in order to meet its own needs, but also in order to export products to the subregional and international markets. e. The development of its cultural potential in exportable products with regional and international cultural activities. f. Its central geographical position in West Africa, with its heritage as a transit and commercial and cultural junction. g. The capacity to control water and other natural resources – both landbased and underground – which the country developed these past years. h. The visionary sense of its leadership, which should be strengthened to turn it into a force for transformation of the society towards a better future. The challenges 8.8 The country should count on its assets to meet a number of challenges, including (notably) the following: a. The ‘unblocking’ of the political arena that is somewhat stifled by the weight of the omnipresent majority party. b. The corruption that is creating a rift between the governors and the governed, and which is undermining all the reform efforts. c. The insignificant involvement of women and the youth in the development process as partners and actors in their own right. d. A political and democratic governance that produces few dividends in the fields of legal and physical security, food security, as well as economic security, social security and environmental security of the populations. e. The lack of consensus around the defined vision, which is the construction of an emerging economy by 2025. f. The transformation of the handicap of isolation into a development asset. g. The capacity to mobilise and coordinate human, material, natural and financial resources. 35