MCA spreads wings to Zambia, Malawi

  1. Posted on Thursday 4 February 2010 - 12:25
    Sanday
    Image of Sanday
    Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
    United States supported, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCA), has announced its plans to expand its operations in Africa as more countries meet democracy requirements.
    Malawi Fuel Shortage Photo: Chancy Namadzunda
    Africa, which accounts for about 70 percent of the corporation’s total funding of $5.2 billion, has 11 countries where so-called compacts, or programs, are underway.

    MCA Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Yohannes said in an interview in the Ghanaian capital, Accra that the aid program intends to spread its blue print across Africa.
    He said: “It’s our hope to add Zambia and Malawi in the next 12 to 18 months.”

    Cape Verde, the cluster of islands off West Africa, may be given a second project in 2011 after finishing its $110-million, five-year program, Yohannes added. No decision has yet been taken on how much each country will receive, he said.

    Countries are selected for their commitment to “good governance” and for their decision to “to stand up to corruption,” he said.

    Yohannes’ Ghana visit was to highlight the corporation’s programs in the West African nation, which is three years into a five-year, $547-million compact that focuses on road-building and boosting agricultural production, according to a Bloomberg report.

    Country-driven

    The Challenge’s programs “are country-driven. We don’t tell them how to invest,” Yohannes said.

    In August, the corporation cut short its $110 million program in Madagascar after Andry Rajoelina seized power in March, according to its website. A month later, Senegal signed a five-year, $540-million compact.

    Six other African nations are involved in the corporation’s “threshold” programs, which can be precursors to wider funding, Yohannes said. A $23-million threshold program with Niger was suspended in December after President Mamadou Tandja refused to stand down when his term ended.

    The U.S. government’s 2011 budget calls for funding of almost $1.3 billion, up from about $1.1 billion approved for 2010, according to the Web site.

    Africa’s economy, which is poised to grow 4.3 percent this year from 1.9 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund, needs to attract more foreign investors, Yohannes said. African countries have to “liberalize their economic policies,” he said. “I believe they need to be innovative in attracting foreign investment.”

Latest News

  1. AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02Over 40 casualty cases were recorded Wednesday night at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after post-match celebrations turned violent …
  2. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  3. Combating HIV infections among African women08/02With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  4. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  5. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  6. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  7. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  8. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  9. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  10. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  11. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  12. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  13. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  14. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  15. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
News archive