WASHINGTON (April 1, 2022) – The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting March 31 and voted to approve two grant programs — a $300 million Lesotho Compact and a $60 million Kenya Threshold Program.
“Through these partnerships, MCC will help the Kenyan and Lesotho governments tackle tough policy and institutional reforms and invest in critical infrastructure in the health, agriculture, finance, and urban planning sectors, creating pathways to prosperity for more than 2.5 million people," said MCC’s Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright.
MCC’s proposed compact with the Government of Lesotho seeks to improve health outcomes through better primary healthcare delivery, increase incomes in rural communities through the provision of irrigated land for high-value crops, and boost profits and formal employment for women- and youth-owned enterprises.
The proposed threshold program with the Government of Kenya aims to bolster the Nairobi transport authority, connect Nairobi residents to public transportation, counter pervasive sexual harassment on minibuses, modernize land use planning, and catalyze financing for bus rapid transit to promote lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, the Board voted to suspend MCC’s current assistance to Burkina Faso and its eligibility for a concurrent compact that would promote regional integration as a result of the country’s recent coup d’état. These events run counter to MCC’s commitment to democratic governance and upholding rule of law. All MCC partner countries are expected to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to these principles to remain eligible for MCC investments.
The Board also received a detailed update on the status of MCC’s programs in Nepal and Timor-Leste.
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.