“So many positives” in Cape Verde

Nov 20th, 2009 5:31 PM UTC
By Chris Scott

The US Ambassador to Cape Verde, Marianne M. Myles, has a piece in the Providence Journal reporting on the many positives coming out of the country. She attributes this to country’s willingness to “put policies and programs in place that deliver for its people and their prosperity” and practicing “good governance with a stable democratic system.”

She also mentions Secretary Clinton’s visit to the country in August, and writes at length about the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s work in Cape Verde.

Excerpts below, full piece here

Such progress also builds a strong foundation for Cape Verde’s work to lift its citizens out of poverty. The poverty rate at 27 percent remains a pressing problem. That is why Cape Verdeans are leveraging U.S. development assistance with transparency and accountability to win the fight against poverty. The government is maximizing the benefits of such assistance by matching it with its own resources and integrating it with resources from other donors or the private sector. Because of this approach, American taxpayers can rest assured that their resources are being invested in smart and effective ways in Cape Verde.

I am a witness to this as I see American Peace Corps volunteers manage education and community-development projects, including programs to teach life skills, protect against HIV/AIDS, and advise entrepreneurs about how to attain business profitability. I see progress also through the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an innovative approach to aid that partners with countries willing to practice sound policies and build the capacity to implement solutions for growth determined by their own citizens.

TAGS: Cape Verde