Jean-Luc Dubois

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to highlight the main common features - and to explain the reasons for the differences - of the poverty reduction strategies presently implemented in four particular sub-Saharan Africa countries : Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali and Senegal.

At first sight, these countries appear extremely different in their size and level of wealth as show the population, the per capita GDP (purchasing power parity) and the Human Development Index (HDI) (see Table 1). Ethiopia has the biggest population, but also the poorest country. Mali and Senegal are Sahelian countries related by strong historical and cultural links, and they belong, with Cameroon, to the CFA franc zone. Cameroon and Ethiopia are both a mosaic of various provinces and diverse cultural groups.