Millennium Challenge Corporation Approves $66.2 Million Compact With Cape Verde
Washington, D.C. – At its quarterly meeting today, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved a $66.2 million compact with Cape Verde. The Board of Directors selected Benin and El Salvador as eligible to develop proposals for new compacts and Nepal and Honduras as eligible to develop Threshold Programs. “Cape Verde has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to building a self-sustaining, high-growth economy through policy and institutional reforms, private sector engagement and infrastructure development,” said MCC Chief Executive Officer Daniel W. Yohannes. “MCC is proud to partner again with this stable democracy—a model for all of Africa—to improve the quality of life for Cape Verdeans in positive and sustainable ways.” The Government of Cape Verde recognizes that to alleviate poverty it must continue its positive track record of improved policy performance and government reform. This compact provides a unique opportunity to reduce poverty and address critical constraints to economic growth in Cape Verde through projects focused on reforming the water, sanitation and land management sectors. Benin and El Salvador were considered eligible to develop proposals for new compacts. These second compacts are contingent on successful completion of first compacts, continued good policy performance, development of proposals that have significant potential to promote economic growth and reduce poverty, and availability of funding.
“Traveling over the last year, I saw firsthand the positive impact that MCC’s compacts are having in both Benin and El Salvador,” said Yohannes. “These countries not only demonstrate the sound policy performance that is required of an MCC partner country, but looking at what they have accomplished in implementation makes me enthusiastic about developing a second compact with them.” The Board also selected Nepal and Honduras as eligible for new Threshold Programs, and agreed that Zambia, Georgia and Ghana are eligible to continue the process of developing compacts in Fiscal Year 2012. The meeting was held at the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s headquarters on December 16, 2011
despite what the country’s name suggests (verde is Portuguese for “green”). The name of the country stems instead from the nearby Cap Vert, on the Senegalese coast, which in its turn was originally named “Cabo Verde” when it was sighted by Portuguese explorers in 1444, a few years before the islands were discovered. The country has an estimated population (most of creole of ethnicity) of about 500,000, with its capital city Praia accounting for a quarter of its citizens. Nearly 38% of the population lives in rural areas according to the 2010 Cape Verdean census; about 20% lives below the poverty threshold, and the literacy rate is around 85%. Politically, the country is a very stable democracy, with notable economic growth and improvements of living conditions despite its lack of natural resources, and has garnered international recognition by other countries and international organizations, which often provide development aid. Since 2007, Cape Verde has been classified as a developing nation.
United States & Cape Verde The relationship is cordial and has strong historical roots. In the early 18th century, U.S. whaling ships appear to have begun recruiting crews from Brava and Fogo to hunt whales that were abundant in the waters surrounding Cape Verde. Ties between the American colonies and Cape Verde are documented as early as the 1740s, when American ships routinely anchored in Cape Verdean ports to trade for salt or buy slaves. The tradition of emigration to the United States began at that time and continues today.
The first U.S. consulate in sub-Saharan Africa was established in Cape Verde in 1818. U.S. consular representation continued throughout the 19th century. The United States recognized Cape Verde on its independence day and supported its admission to the United Nations. Cape Verde assigned one of its first ambassadors to the United States, and a resident U.S. ambassador was posted to Cape Verde in 1983. Prime Minister Jose Neves visited Cape Verdean communities in New England during an official trip to the United States in 2002, and President Pires visited the United States in April 2005. (Prime Minister Neves also visited the U.S. in September 2007.)
The United States provided emergency humanitarian aid and economic assistance to Cape Verde in the period immediately following Cape Verde’s independence, as well as after natural disasters, including a hurricane that struck the island of Brava in 1982, and after a severe volcanic eruption on Fogo in 1995. About Cape Verde Cape Verde also is eligible for trade benefits under the The Republic of Cape Verde is an island coun- African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and try, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands has signed an Open Skies agreement to facilitate air located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilo- travel safety and expansion. On July 4, 2005, Cape metres off the coast of Western Africa. The Verde became the third country to sign a compact islands, covering a combined area of slightly with the U.S. Government-funded Millennium over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are Challenge Corporation (MCC); the five-year assisof volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal, tance package is worth over $110 million in addressBoa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and ing rural economic expansion, infrastructure developdry, the remaining ones are generally rockier ment, and development of the credit sector. and have more vegetation. However, because of the infrequent occurrence of rainfall the Source: AMIP News Staff Writer overall landscape is not particularly green,
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Opens New Office in Queens, New York NEW YORK—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated the official opening of its newest immigration field office in Queens, N.Y. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas and USCIS’s New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo were joined by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (14th District, N.Y.), U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (7thDistrict, N.Y.) and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Opening the Queens office furthers our effort to become a part of the community and provide services where our customers live,” Director Mayorkas said. “We are confident that this new office will improve customer service and accessibility, and create new opportunities for the Queens community to engage with our agency.”
The new office, located at 27-35 Jackson Ave., consists of waiting rooms, an Application Support Center (which offers fingerprinting and photographic services as part of the application process), a naturalization ceremony room, and interview and file rooms. The building was formerly a warehouse and has been renovated to create a modern and efficient office space. The Queens office is expected to serve about 500 people each business day. The office’s hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A portion of the new office in Queens was dedicated by USCIS employees to one of their own: former Field Office Director Gwynne K. MacPherson-Williams, who passed away in March 2011 after 38 years of distinguished public service in New York City. A plaque will be placed in the new naturalization ceremony room in her memory.
The Aviation High School Honor Guard participated in today’s ceremony by presenting the national colors and leading guests in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approximately 100 employees transferred to the Queens office from the now-closed Garden City, Long Island, office. USCIS recently opened an additional office in Holtsville, Long Island. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov Source: www.uscis.gov