Former minister takes office as coordinator of the Millennium Challenge Corporation programme in Mozambique

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Former minister takes office as coordinator of the Millennium Challenge Corporation programme in Mozambique

3:24 CAT | 22 May 2020

Photo: Twitter

Prime Minister of Mozambique Carlos Agostinho do Rosário on Thursday swore into office former agriculture minister Higino de Marrule as coordinator of the second Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) programme, funded by the United States government.

“[We ask the coordinator for flexibility] in the identification of concrete and of socio-economic impact projects, to ensure the greatest possible funding for the Mozambique program,” Prime Minister do Rosário said at the inauguration ceremony in Maputo.

The MCC is a US government grant programme that provides time-limited grants to developing countries “that meet rigorous standards for good governance, from fighting corruption to respecting democratic rights, as evaluated by MCC’s scorecard,” a communique from the US Embassy in Maputo explains.

After the end of the first MCC compact in 2013, under which Mozambique received US$507 million (€463 million), the United States Government in 2019 approved new financing for Mozambique.

Although the amount of funding the new compact will furnish is still unknown, Prime Minister do Rosário asked the new coordinator to “ensure the correct application of the funds available to the institution, as well as compliance with the deadlines agreed in the execution of the projects”, adding that the MCC compact complements the Mozambican government’s projects.

“The MCC complements the government’s actions, especially with regard to the implementation of projects in the areas of energy, development of road infrastructures, supply of drinking water and sanitation, among others,” the prime minister said.

“In this context, we recommend the national coordinator of the Development Office of the Second Millennium Challenge Compact Program to prioritise the active involvement of the private sector, civil society organisations, academia, among others, in the various phases of its implementation,” do Rosario urged.

Higino de Marrule holds a Master’s degree in Agronomy from Michigan State University, US, and served as Minister of Agriculture from December 2017 to January 2020.

Source: Lusa