US-Millennium challenge corporation programme to fight corruption

The US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Malawi government have announced the launch of a US $20.92 million programme aimed at fighting corruption and spurring long-term economic growth and development in the southern African country.
MCC vice-president Charles Sethness and Malawi's finance minister, Goodall Gondwe, announced the signing of a Threshold Country Plan (TCP) in Washington. The MCC, a US government corporation launched in 2004 to work with some of the poorest countries in the world, is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom, and investments that promote economic growth and eliminate extreme poverty.

During the press briefing Sethness praised Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika for taking some "very bold and courageous stands - we applaud him for his leadership in tackling the issue, and we agree with Malawi that fighting corruption and improving fiscal management could be a catalyst for economic growth, for wealth creation and poverty reduction." The plan had 14 steps, which included preventing corruption and improving fiscal oversight; encouraging a free and fair press to report on transparency and corruption; and strengthening the legal system - from police to courts - to enable it to identify, confront and prosecute corruption cases. (Rts)