On July 30, a new large-scale commercial greenhouse complex “Herbia” opened in Tskaltubo, Imereti Region. (Photo by Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund)

Upon landing in Tbilisi, Georgia, I had over an hour to prepare for our team’s departure for the opening of a new greenhouse complex, so far the largest grantee of MCC’s  Agribusiness Development Activity (ADA) in Georgia, which provides grants for small- to medium-sized farmers to  access modern farming supplies and increase agricultural productivity.  We drove four hours into west-central Georgia to participate in the opening ceremony with Georgian government representatives, municipal authorities, and staff from Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund (MCG). The event was as welcoming as the project was innovative, and I felt honored to be part of this much-anticipated day.

Mr. Zurab Janelidze, who invested more than $450,000 to match $299,736 in MCG grant funding, developed his vision for Herbia LLC, a comprehensive system for greenhouse production and distribution of fresh herbs and vegetables. Herbia was established on two hectares of land in the rural Georgian town of Tskaltubo and is linked to an existing cold storage facility – one of the few in rural Georgia – that also has the capacity to pack, store, export, and cater to local demand. Mr. Janelidze’s strategy will serve as an example for high-value agricultural production in Georgia, while earning substantial revenues from the export of fresh culinary herbs and greenhouse tomato production, which will be sold domestically. The enterprise will also purchase fresh herbs from small farmers in the area to augment its own production, packing, and exporting.  Upon touring Herbia LLC, its potential to make a positive impact in the Imereti region was evident as I walked through several greenhouses and saw many local workers picking produce.

I also visited multiple phases of the MCC-funded Energy Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project in the Mtskheta Tianeti region.  This project is rehabilitating an essential source of energy for the people of Georgia, which, at over 2,200 meters at times, is one of the world’s top three highest-elevation pipelines, making rehabilitation efforts not only challenging but also absolutely critical due to the remote nature of these repairs.

The Energy Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project is an exemplary case of true country-led development, as all phases of this project have been implemented by a Georgian company. The Georgian Oil and Gas Company currently operates the pipeline on the government’s behalf and has been responsible for the design and supervision of the entire project.  Improved management of the pipeline, together with MCC investments for repairs, have already resulted in a decline in gas leakage, which means increasingly reliable access to natural gas for Georgian citizens and their enterprises.

Distance creates a clearer perspective on experiences.  Now back in Washington, I am able to reflect on my recent trip to the field and can say I feel privileged to have observed these transformative projects in person. It was truly exciting to witness the focused energy and enthusiasm of the Georgians at work on a daily basis. It is clear that MCC’s partnership with the Government of Georgia is  highly valued and will continue generating positive results.

Namibia is celebrating its 18th year of independence and, as coincidence would have it, MCC today signed its 18th compact with Namibia, a $304.5 million partnership for education, ecotourism, and agriculture.

This morning, I met with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba to congratulate him and his government on the compact.  The government is intent upon development of its poorest areas, as Namibia has the second highest disparity of household income in the world.  The compact has three main projects.

The education project will focus on school textbooks, primary and secondary school infrastructure improvements, vocational training, and a sustainable system of scholarships for post-secondary school students. We estimate that about a million students will benefit over the years from this project.

The ecotourism project, largely in the poor northern part of the country, will focus on communal conservancies, protecting Namibia’s astonishingly beautiful natural resources, including wildlife for future generations.  In addition, this project will attract more tourists to Namibia and improve the jewel of the country’s tourism industry, Etosha National Park.

The agriculture project is focused on livestock, as a substantial number of households graze cattle on communal lands in northern Namibia.  The project will provide veterinary centers and training for farmers in rangeland management, improved livestock productivity, and land access.  A small part of the project is focused on helping poor families harvest high-value indigenous natural products like devil’s claw, marula oil, Kalahari melon seed, hoodia, and ximenia.

The signing ceremony was held at the office of the Prime Minister, with the Right Honorable Prime Minister Nahas Angula presiding over the event.  A number of ministers, including the Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC), board members of the NPC, and a U.S. trade mission organized by the Corporate Council on Africa were among the dignitaries who attended the event.  Tonight, our Namibian counterparts will host us at a celebration to mark the compact’s signing at the base of the Auas Mountains, featuring a local choir and traditional dancers.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita income of $260 a person, and a troublesome ranking of just three from the bottom in the UN’s Human Development Index (174 out of 177). I’ve just returned from a trip to the country where I represented MCC during the signing of a $23 million threshold agreement. The bulk of the threshold program—$18 million or so—is to help Niger improve its low rate of girls’ primary school completion. Niger is in the bottom 5 percentile of low income countries and has a bright red score on MCC’s index for this category. Red, in terms of MCC’s “scorecards” of performance, is not good.

The threshold program has been put together with a notion of helping up to 200 schools become more “girl-friendly.” It’s one drop in an enormous bucket of educational needs, but the Minister of Education, Monsieur Samba Mamadou, shared with me his excitement about the threshold program. The morning after the signing ceremony, he joined me, the US Ambassador to Niger Bernadette Allen, local USAID representative Mark Wentling, and USAID regional Mission Director Henderson Patrick, who flew up from Accra for the occasion. We set off in a dusty caravan of vehicles for the province of Tillaberi to visit some of these schools and talk to our local partners about their needs and challenges.

We bounced for dozens of kilometers along a mix of paved and sandy roads—a reminder of the overwhelming needs of so many countries where we work. The driver of our car had to flip on the wipers constantly to blow away the dust on the windshield. I asked the Minister of Education about Niger’s education needs during the trip. “Everything” was the short answer to the question, with the most critical component being trained teachers, followed by school buildings, notebooks for students (“cahiers”), textbooks, blackboards, desks—you name it. We talked at length about the discrepancy between boys’ and girls’ enrollment rates. He cited the reasons as cultural, social, and economic. Many parents need help in hauling water for the families’ use during the day. Other daughters are married when they’re 13 or 14. The minister made it clear that he, like so many others, understands full well the importance of having girls remain in schools and wants to help make it a reality.

After we drove several dozen more kilometers on the western side of the Niger River, we arrived at the first school. The school buildings are one story tall, built of tan bricks. There was no electricity that I could see, but there were dozens and dozens of people, adults, teachers, local officials and three Peace Corps volunteers at this first site. The school rooms I saw were simple, sometimes with a blackboard, but always packed with kids. In one school room, they’re wearing paper hats with “Niger-MCC-USA” written around the bands. They sang and clapped as we ducked to enter the school room and wish them well. On the black board, in one corner, someone had written the number of garcons and jeunne filles that were in attendance that day. That particular day, in that classroom, the girls outnumbered the boys. This was great news. The governor assured me that the word was getting out to the local officials, tribal leaders and families about the importance of encouraging their daughters to come to school. The need for new classrooms to accommodate the students was evidenced by a lean-to, with a primitive stick roof, that serves as a classroom for 30 or more children, who appeared to be about five or six years-old. There were no chairs and no desks. The head of the school talked to us about the need for latrines, and for places to feed the children. A “cafeteria” would probably be too grand a name for what will likely be a new room for this purpose, possibly with a stove and water. I asked some Peace Corps volunteers, who are working in schools further away from this one, what they needed. “Everything” again was the simple answer. MCC’s Niger Threshold Program certainly isn’t everything, but it is at least a start.