Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Alice Albright will visit The Gambia this week to advance the development of a compact programme, an official statement said on Tuesday.
She will also celebrate the opening of the MCC-Gambia Threshold Programme office in Banjul and meet with high level officials involved in the partnership to build a healthy, prosperous, and inclusive society for all Gambians, the statement said.
“MCC looks forward to building a long and productive partnership with The Gambia,” the statement quoted Ms. Albright as saying. “The Government of The Gambia has made high-level commitments to the success of the threshold and compact programmes, and it is important that we see continued follow-through, as our newest partner works to reduce poverty through growth.”
In November 2021, MCC and the Government of The Gambia signed a Threshold Programme, which provides a $25 million grant to address one of The Gambia’s biggest constraints to economic growth – an unreliable and inadequate supply of electricity.
In December 2022, The Gambia became eligible for an even larger compact grant, which will fund economy-boosting investment opportunities to reduce poverty for Gambians potentially in the areas of education, transport, and eco-tourism along the Gambia River.
“The MCC programmes come at a promising period for our Gambian partners,” said U.S. Ambassador Sharon Cromer. “The Gambia has made an impressive seven-year journey to democracy and is experiencing gains in many sectors. With MCC, the United States demonstrates that we have confidence in the Gambian people to further their nation’s positive trajectory, especially in advancing economic growth for all Gambians, including youth and women.”
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth.
Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants that pair investments in infrastructure with policy and institutional reforms to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.
