The future is not clear to an important, 20 -year -old American government initiative to advance American interests around the world and blunt Chinese and Russian influence.
Millennium Challenge Corporation The manner of development aid was changed. It has dropped millions of people from poverty since he was launched by President George W. Bush in 2004. This was a year after the President’s emergency plan for AIDS relief, which is More than 26 million people saved In the last two decades, especially on the African continent.
Both are the correct examples of American soft power. But while the AIDS relief program has been spared on the recent budget cuts after some hiccups, the future of Millennium Challenge Corporation is less clear. Its Board gets this week To decide whether to eliminate more than half of your portfolio of compact and small threshold programs in different stages of development or implementation. These programs are in Africa and Asia, the world’s strategically important region in which China and Russia will be happy to take our place.
The board should consider the impact of potential cuts in our country’s reputation as a reliable partner and whether such a decrease will really benefit American Economic, National Security and Diplomatic interests.
Although all government programs should be reviewed for regular efficiency and effectiveness, it seems very low to reduce the footprint of an agency that is successfully implementing its mandate for the benefit of American interests. The Congress has historically supported the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a model for development and as a security guard for our national security, and its funding level in the House Fiscal 2026 Advance Bill shows that support.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation aims to reduce poverty through economic growth and gives an example that the generosity of American people can actually differentiate abroad in ways that lead the American national interests when moving development.
The program has expanded access to electricity in Benin and Georgia so that children can study after darkness and hospitals properly store vaccines. It has created a infrastructure to provide clean water to homes and businesses in Cape Verde and Mongolia. And it has constructed or improved roads, airports, ports and bridges in many countries so that people can school or work – and efficiently distribute their belongings to the markets.
in Africa, The program has educated more than 255,500 studentsMore than 26 million megawatt-hour power contributed, more than 305,000 houses and businesses have been guaranteed and their land has legal rights and security, and has improved production for more than 70,600 farmers.
Millennium Challenge Corporation has funded 82 agreements in 49 countries since 2004, benefiting around 400 million people. Twenty -five of these countries are in Africa, and these are investment Estimated 154 million Africans benefited,
And this has done all this in the way of sounding economically. In addition, such assistance opens doors to the United States, in which American companies demand trade with these countries.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation took a great approach to foreign aid, requiring that the countries qualify on the basis of rigorous third-party indicators measuring democratic rule, health and education and measuring economic freedom. Countries that do not meet these criteria are not eligible for compact, which are binding agreements developed in partnership with qualified countries with harsh monitoring.
With the Bush-era AIDS program, the Millennium Challenge Corporation is well focused on Africa. By 2050, more than 25 percent of the world’s population Will stay there. By 2030, more than 40 percent of the world’s youth will be African. already, More than half of the world’s 20 fastest growing economies are in Africa65 percent of the world’s arable land and about 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves.
Millennium Challenge Corporations increase tremendous goodwill among the population of countries and helps Russia and China in counter efforts to include itself at the cost of American interests. Whether through cultural engagement programs and educational opportunities, infrastructure investment or military intervention, Beijing and Moscow want to expand their influence in the field, while spreading anti-Western propagation at the same time and taking advantage of disrupted or struggling population to export your totalitarian brand of governance.
It is a risk for African population, global security and American interests. Without this program, the picture will look very bad. It empowers its partners, rather than making the country ownership of its development projects champion, instead of taking them hostage for termed debt terms like China. It creates jobs rather than taking them from local population. Every dollar spent to UT requires transparency and accountability, as is looking for China and Russia unlike shady, corrupt deals.
There should be accountability from both partner countries and Millennium Challenge Corporation. Compact countries should maintain their performance on indicators and apply compact transparently. Meanwhile, they measure the economic rate of return to their investment on the Millennium Challenge Corporation and strictly evaluate every program for effectiveness and results.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation demands policies that support democratic rule, invested in people, and their colleagues to support economic freedom so that they can avoid poverty, instead of reducing democracy and grieving their colleagues with loans, and can avoid poverty and build strong economies. At the same time, it creates private investment opportunities and develops trade and economic partners. A huge reduction in your work can leave incomplete projects that sweep and complete in China – and claim credits.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation uses foreign aid responsibly responsibly to strengthen American diplomatic relations and economic partnerships, using foreign aid dollars responsible – promoting America’s positive attitude between all citizens and governments. Its board should keep it in mind this week.
Monica Vegas Claudcice George is a senior advisor for outreach and strategic participation at the George W Bush Institute and serves as the Managing Director for the threshold programs at the first MCC. David J. The Cramer is Executive Director George W. Bush Institute.
