The permanent presence of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in the proximity of all the activities of the Canadian Jean François Guay has led us to look into what this very charitable agency is aiming for... which we have seen that 'it finally led this character to push, to the maximum of his strength, the penetration of the banking activity to the heart of the great poverty of a country like Mali, in particular...

It was then that we came across a Report requested in 2006 by USAID – and to clarify its own approach – from an organization, Carana Corporation, which has since joined The Palladium Group, while now presenting itself as follows :
“Since 1984, we have guided practical approaches to global competitiveness, reducing poverty and raising living standards around the world. (https://www.carana.com/)

Isn't it beautiful? Especially if this must be ranked as a success attributable to what is the key to the exploitation of human beings by human beings as it has been carried out for several centuries by capitalism: competitiveness... the one that annihilates rank-and-file workers, all over the planet.

As for the Palladium Group, it is indeed the same shop, since it…
“works with governments, businesses and investors to solve the world's most pressing challenges”. (http://thepalladiumgroup.com/)

“Governments, corporations and investors” acting across the “world”…perfect definition of imperialism…

The summary of the Report begins with this sentence:
“USAID commissioned this study to investigate the size and scope of informal financial transactions in West Africa. » (page 1 of the paper document)

We are still in finance… But what does it mean that it can sometimes be described as “informal”? To understand this, we can first take the opposite case:
“Financial transactions made through formal channels such as banks are recorded. (Idem, page 1)

Now here's what we need to know:
“The informal channels are unregulated and unregistered and run through a variety of networks that include cash transactions across borders. (Idem, page 1)

"Banks", not "banks", that's the whole problem... what the Report commissioned by USAID from the specialists of capitalist "competitiveness" against a backdrop of imperialism wants to deal with... This absence, painful for these people, of a banking activity that they would absolutely like to see appear, more particularly affects two sectors: intra-regional trade and, especially that which concerns the interior of West Africa, and, in this same zone, remittances between migrant workers and their families back home…

Quantitatively, this is a significant problem… Indeed, the Report underlines, the general framework being the following:
“Just over 250 million people live in the 15 ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] countries which have a total GDP of $342.5 billion. (Idem, page 1)

Insofar as the informal economy does not appear in official documents, can we measure its importance?... The Report is passionate about this question... which will offer it the possibility of attacking the various governments of the 'West Africa. According to him :
“There is a major disconnect between official regional trade figures and what is happening on the streets of West Africa. (Idem, page 6)

Indeed, it seems to him that the authorities very deliberately minimize the importance of what concerns, in a way, the internal cuisine of West Africa:
“Government officials interviewed in all countries are convinced that levels of intra-regional trade are not significant and therefore the need to facilitate trade agreements is not a priority. (Idem, page 6)

To achieve this, they would pretend to deny almost completely the informal sector...
“Government representatives mentioned statistical references showing that intra-regional trade in West Africa represented around 5% of all trade, with the sole exception of Senegal where these intra-regional flows are more important. (Idem, page 6)

If the share of internal affairs in West Africa is so small, what is the point of conducting research on migrants or commercial exchanges that do not respect the usual formalities in money transfers? For its part, Carana Corporation sent its experts on site – and this was one of the decisive elements in the preparation of the Report which it then submitted. West Africa defends itself very well by claiming to stick to the 5%…
“However, what most observers have found, and what this study has confirmed, is that there is more trade than reported. (Idem, page 6)

Leaders kind of just got caught red-handed… Indeed, for his part…
“The World Bank has estimated that intra-regional trade has tended to fluctuate around 10% of total trade for the region as a whole. (Idem, page 7)

Thus, a certain unanimity will eventually emerge, and it includes the investigators delegated by Carana Corporation:
“West Africa trade experts estimate that the actual volume of trade could be at least double what is currently presented by official statistics. (Idem, page 7)

Remember, however, that all this happened in 2006… We have come back to that time to understand where USAID was claiming to lead us… We will not be disappointed.