Ghana gets new MCC Board endorsement for compact two
At its quarterly on December 10, 2013, the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Board of Directors has once again reselected Ghana for the second compact.
The proposed second compact will focus on solving key challenges in Ghana’s energy sector.
The MCC Board chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry reselected Ghana and other African countries for a new compact.
“After careful consideration of previously selected countries’ performance, the Board reselected Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Niger, and Tanzania as eligible to continue development of their respective compact proposals,” the MCC said in a statement.
This means Ghana has passed all the MCC scorecards including the one on fight against corruption.
Ghana’s second compact is expected to become a reality during the first-half of 2014.
The MCC is working with the Ghana government to define potential projects for the second compact, which will seek to address Ghana’s inadequate and unreliable power supply.
The agency is also collaborating with other US Government agencies in the energy sector through the Partnership for Growth initiative, which is intended to create the next generation of emerging markets through better coordination of USG objectives and resources.
Unfortunately, the MCC Board did not reselect Benin and Sierra Leone who are currently developing their respectively compacts. “…Benin and Sierra Leone were not reselected,” it said.
According to the MCC, its Board discussed the fact that those two countries “did not pass MCC’s control of corruption indicator, which is a hard hurdle for passing the scorecard, and did not put them up for a vote on reselection”.
After also reviewing supplemental information on anti-corruption efforts in Benin and Sierra Leone, the Board urged continued but limited engagement with both countries and indicated it expects both countries to pass the control of corruption indicator before it would approve a compact with them.
“We are very concerned when a country does not pass the control of corruption indicator,” MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes said.
The US agency said it recognizes the efforts that the governments of Benin and Sierra Leone have undertaken to address corruption, and assured that the MCC is committed to helping those efforts succeed.
“I am hopeful that the continued and deepened efforts of both countries will be reflected in future performance on the control of corruption indicator,” Yohannes added.
By EkowQuandzie