Thursday, October 16, 2008
Aid agency believes in Africa
The Millennium Challenge Corp., an aid agency of the U.S. government created four years ago to assist the "poorest of the poor" countries, has emerged as a resource for economic development in Africa.
Of the 18 grants — or compacts — it has signed with countries in the developing world, 11 are with African nations.
Its latest, a $304.5 million, five-year grant to Namibia, the huge arid nation in southwest Africa, was signed in July in Windhoek, the Namibian capital.
Ambassador John Danilovich, chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), hailed Namibia's fight against poverty.
"The compact reflects the next chapter in Namibia's story of development and captures the country's determination to end poverty and stimulate sustainable economic growth that will create new opportunities for the Namibians," he said recently at MCC headquarters in Washington.
So far, the MCC has committed a total of $6.2 billion since its inception in January 2004 to help poor countries achieve "sustained development through good governance and economic freedom."
In Namibia, the money will go largely to foster education and to take advantage of Namibia's vast open spaces to further develop a livestock industry.
In an interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Danilovich said the country's tourism efforts will also receive funding.
"We welcome Namibia's expressed desire to stimulate tourism. With its beautiful coastline on the South Atlantic and its spectacular desert landscapes, it's a natural magnet for the development of tourism," he said.
Namibia's ambassador to the United States, Patrick Nandago, cited the country's post-independence progress.
"Since Namibia attained independence in 1990, our government has recorded significant progress in the provision of health, education, housing, creation of jobs, land reform, infrastructure and communication for the betterment of our people."
But he added: "Namibia still faces formidable challenges, such as poverty, unemployment especially among the youth, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, lack of skills, as well as a host of other issues."
MCC compacts with other African countries include:
• A deal signed with Morocco calls for a $697 million grant to develop fisheries, fruit trees and artisan crafts.
• In Ghana, the conservative, free-enterprise-oriented government of President John Kufuor has signed a compact to rebuild and enhance the safety of rural schools.
• Mali will get funding to develop trade and irrigation for agricultural development - a project to take advantage of Bamako International Airport and the Niger River.
• Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Benin in West Africa; Tanzania in East Africa; Mozambique and Lesotho in southern Africa; and Madagascar, the Indian Ocean island state.
For Namibia, the deal represents a sea change from the way the United States and its allies viewed the country before independence.
A German colony founded in the 1880s, it was occupied during World War I by South Africa and administered as South-West Africa under a League of Nations mandate. The mandate morphed into United Nations trusteeship, still under apartheid South Africa's rule.
In 1966, a liberation movement was launched by the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), which aligned itself with the African National Congress then fighting South Africa's regime and with the government of socialist Angola.
A Cuban expeditionary corps, sent to southern Africa to defend Angola and assist SWAPO in countering a South African counterinsurgency force, created tensions with the United States and its allies.
Independence was finally achieved in 1990 after a grand deal under United Nations auspices. It included the removal of Cuban forces from Angola and the withdrawal of South African forces from Namibia.
Under the leadership of Sam Nujoma, SWAPO then proceeded to create a Western-oriented multiparty system and a free market to encourage investors.
Its current president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, has continued those policies, which fitted the MCC's mandate to help countries on the road to good governance and market-based economics.