Govt submits millennium development proposals

GOVERNMENT submitted its development project proposals to the US Government on September 29.

Cabinet approved the proposals during its regular meeting two days earlier. In November 2005, Namibia became one of three lower middle-income countries that were identified as eligible to apply for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) assistance of the US Government for the 2006 fiscal year.The lower middle-income category was only introduced in 2005 and the two other eligible countries in this category were El Salvador and Cape Verde.Countries with a per capita income between US$1 576 and US$3 255 qualify for the lower middle-income category.The US formed a special Millennium Development Corporation in 2004 for development projects in Third World countries.”Selection does, however, not guarantee funding and eligible countries, including Namibia, had to embark on broad-based consultations to develop proposals that address the country’s barriers to poverty reduction and economic growth,” Information Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the media briefing on Cabinet resolutions last Thursday.The US Congress made US$3 billion available for the 2006 fiscal year and President George Bush pledged to increase annual funding for the MCA to US$5 billion in future.Following Namibia’s eligibility to qualify for funding from the MCA, the National Planning Commission (NPC) negotiated and co-ordinated the preparation of Namibia’s programme proposals to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the US agency that deals with the eligible countries.An important component is that civil society organisations can also benefit from the MCA programme and can submit proposals channelled via the NPC.President Hifikepunye Pohamba instructed that 90 per cent of the MCA funding should go into rural development projects.Namibia’s MCA office was established in April 2006 and a core team, led by Penny Akwenye from the Bank of Namibia, was seconded to the NPC to prepare Namibia’s MCA programme proposal.”Namibia is eligible for 25 per cent of the US$3 billion,” Akwenye told reporters at the Cabinet media briefing.According to her, the NPC will only hear in early 2007, which projects will receive funding from the US.A number of stakeholders from Government, regional institutions and traditional leaders were consulted to solicit inputs for the programme proposal.Regional consultations were held between June 3 and July 18 2006 and consultations on the national level ended on 25 July 2006.All 13 regions were visited and 17 national institutions were consulted.Projects were identified in four key sectors: education, livestock production and marketing, tourism, the Green Scheme and promotion of indigenous natural products like the hoodia plant, wild silk and natural oils such as from the marula tree.A proposal for rural access roads was also included.In November 2005, Namibia became one of three lower middle-income countries that were identified as eligible to apply for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) assistance of the US Government for the 2006 fiscal year.The lower middle-income category was only introduced in 2005 and the two other eligible countries in this category were El Salvador and Cape Verde.Countries with a per capita income between US$1 576 and US$3 255 qualify for the lower middle-income category.The US formed a special Millennium Development Corporation in 2004 for development projects in Third World countries.”Selection does, however, not guarantee funding and eligible countries, including Namibia, had to embark on broad-based consultations to develop proposals that address the country’s barriers to poverty reduction and economic growth,” Information Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the media briefing on Cabinet resolutions last Thursday.The US Congress made US$3 billion available for the 2006 fiscal year and President George Bush pledged to increase annual funding for the MCA to US$5 billion in future.Following Namibia’s eligibility to qualify for funding from the MCA, the National Planning Commission (NPC) negotiated and co-ordinated the preparation of Namibia’s programme proposals to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the US agency that deals with the eligible countries.An important component is that civil society organisations can also benefit from the MCA programme and can submit proposals channelled via the NPC.President Hifikepunye Pohamba instructed that 90 per cent of the MCA funding should go into rural development projects. Namibia’s MCA office was established in April 2006 and a core team, led by Penny Akwenye from the Bank of Namibia, was seconded to the NPC to prepare Namibia’s MCA programme proposal.”Namibia is eligible for 25 per cent of the US$3 billion,” Akwenye told reporters at the Cabinet media briefing.According to her, the NPC will only hear in early 2007, which projects will receive funding from the US.A number of stakeholders from Government, regional institutions and traditional leaders were consulted to solicit inputs for the programme proposal.Regional consultations were held between June 3 and July 18 2006 and consultations on the national level ended on 25 July 2006.All 13 regions were visited and 17 national institutions were consulted.Projects were identified in four key sectors: education, livestock production and marketing, tourism, the Green Scheme and promotion of indigenous natural products like the hoodia plant, wild silk and natural oils such as from the marula tree.A proposal for rural access roads was also included.