Kiribati Threshold Program

The grant agreement signing was witnessed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Kiribati Employment and Human Resource Minister Taabeta Teakai and signed by MCC CEO Alice Albright and the President of Kiribati Taneti Maamau on September 25, 2023 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Department of State
Located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, the Republic of Kiribati is comprised of 32 low-lying atolls—ring-shaped islands encircling lagoons—and raised islands spread over 3.5 million km2 of the Pacific Ocean.
The country’s unique geography, remoteness, and lack of scale has led to a divergence between islands in how people work. The capital city of South Tarawa houses half of Kiribati’s population and depends on a cash economy with few formal employment opportunities and its overcrowding has had an adverse impact on the fragile atoll ecosystem. Meanwhile, much of the population living on outer islands participate in a subsistence economy centered around fishing and coconut-derived copra cultivation. The country’s low-lying island geography makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change which can also jeopardize jobs and enhance constraints to economic growth.
With a significant youth population, Kiribati continues to experience limited job opportunities, and demand for training and skill enhancement far exceeds available opportunities. Overseas, Kiribati workers lack adequate work-readiness skills to remain competitive in the international labor market. As a result, many Kiribati want to build skills to help them find decent and inclusive work domestically and abroad.
The $29.1 million Kiribati Threshold Program will work to address these challenges through the Mwakuri Aika Nakoraoi Ibukin Maeuraoimi (MANIM) Project.
Financials
Financials as of September 25, 2023
Program Budget
Milestones
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Signed:
September 25, 2023