WASHINGTON, D.C (May 31, 2024)— The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO, Alice Albright, travelled to Malawi and Zambia to celebrate progress on the partnerships with both countries to reduce poverty.
While in Malawi, CEO Albright and His Excellency President Lazarus Chakwera celebrated the launch of the $350 million Malawi Transport and Land Compact on the Chileka-Likuni Corridor Road—one of the roads that will be improved as part of the compact. She also joined Chargé d’Affaires, Amy Diaz, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo, in recognition of 60 years of U.S.-Malawi diplomatic relations during the U.S. Embassy Lilongwe’s National Day. During the trip, CEO Albright discussed the potential impact of the compact’s land projects with stakeholders from the Lilongwe City Council and attended the grand opening of the offices for the MCA-Malawi II, the local entity responsible for implementing MCC’s compact.
“Malawi has been an important partner of MCC’s since the agency’s creation,” said CEO Albright. “Over the past two decades we’ve shared a commitment to economic growth, democracy and inclusivity, and partnership towards a more prosperous world.”
The Malawi Transport and Land Compact was officially launched on May 6, 2024, during the MCC 20th Anniversary Tribute Dinner in Texas with former President George W. Bush. The compact will benefit over 5 million Malawians by reducing the country’s transport costs and connecting farmers to markets through the improvement of more than 300 kilometers of roads. It also aims to strengthen the country’s land administration to increase productive land use. This compact brings MCC’s overall investment in Malawi to $721.6 million, including two previous MCC programs that invested in fiscal management, combatting corruption, and energy generation.
While visiting Zambia, CEO Albright met with His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema and other government officials to thank them for the rapid progress toward finalizing development of a new MCC-Zambia compact. The proposed compact is anticipated to target the agriculture and agro-processing sectors which have been identified as the most promising areas to unlock inclusive economic growth in Zambia. CEO Albright discussed the timeline and milestones of the proposed compact with officials and engaged with farmers, business owners and financial institutions to better understand the environment and current challenges.
“MCC’s investments in this proposed compact will help drive down the cost of transport, improve roads that link farmers to markets, leverage private capital to make it easier for agro-producers and agro-processors to grow their businesses, and support needed agriculture reforms,” said CEO Albright.
The new compact follows more than $377 million in grant funding that MCC has previously invested in Zambia. The prior program increased Lusaka residents’ access to water by rehabilitating a water treatment plant that provides the city with 40 percent of its water resources. It also focused on sanitation and drainage services—improving health and encouraging economic growth, controlling for corruption, and reducing barriers to trade and investment.
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.