We re not asking for hand-outs. If they decide to invest, they have everything to gain, especially in economies of scale. However poor they are, they represent an incredible market. The countries of the South will gain too, because new technology helps to spread information, which is a tremendous asset in promoting the growth of democracy. Then there s the issue of solidarity.
Rich countries invest a lot to foster democracy around the world.
The first major stumbling block is illiteracy, which concerns about half of Mali s population. Of course we must teach them how, which is a long-term undertaking. We can also make use of technology. Nowadays, voice-activated computers and Braille give blind people access to the Internet. It s easy to imagine similar devices for illiterate people.