Video: Secretary Clinton at MCC Signing Ceremony
Secretary Clinton presided over the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Signing Ceremony With Senegal:
Remarks at the Millennium Challenge Corporation Signing Ceremony With Senegal
Please be seated. Thank you very much, Darius Mann, the very able leader of the MCC. And I thought that his remarks were very clear as to how we intend to work with the government and people of Senegal in order to promote sustainable development, increase the foundation for democracy, and enhance transparency and accountability.
On behalf of the Obama Administration and as the chair of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Board of Directors, I am very pleased to participate in the Signing Ceremony of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact with Senegal. The relationship between our two countries is based on a shared commitment to economic freedom and access to opportunity. Senegal’s progress in promoting these principles has given rise to the Compact we sign today.
This is the first MCC compact signed under President Obama and myself, and it reflects what the President and I conveyed during our separate trips to Africa over the summer: We want to be a partner, not a patron; we are not looking for quick fixes, but for lasting solutions that offer long-term progress.
This agreement reflects our vision of how partnerships in the 21st century can move us all forward in cooperation. In this country-driven Compact, the Government of Senegal identified barriers to economic growth and helped to craft solutions to overcome these barriers. A few years ago, President Wade started a national conversation to reduce poverty, ensure food security, and promote commerce. With input from government representatives, NGO leaders, farmers, community activists, members of the business community, the Senegalese people devised a strategy to rebuild their country’s transportation and irrigation infrastructure. And it is this Senegalese plan that the United States is working to strengthen by signing this $540 million Compact today.
Secretary Clinton & President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal September 16, 2009 (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
While this is an agreement between our two countries, it will rely on more than our governments to ensure that it works, lasts, and delivers results for the people of Senegal. MCA-Senegal, the entity accountable for implementing the Compact, will work with representatives from throughout Senegalese society – the public sector, the business community, NGOs, and citizens – to ensure that the route to economic opportunity crosses every doorstep. It is also fitting, as Darius Mann said, that during this season of Ramadan, our attention and actions should focus on long-term solutions for the poor.
Darius Mann has described what this Compact would do for roads, for irrigation systems, but more importantly, for the people who will benefit from these investments. But in order for this to work, so that in five years we can gather again in this room and we can see the results of our investment and our efforts, it will be up to the government and to the people to make sure that we deliver what we have promised.
(Applause.)
I told President Wade before we came in that I have a personal commitment to Senegal. (Applause.) And I am very proud that we will be signing this Compact in just a few minutes. But it cannot work without a strong commitment to economic liberalization, poverty reduction, and sustainable development.
So President Wade, I’m going to ask everyone here who has traveled so far from Senegal to be with us to be part of ensuring the success of what we do together. (Applause.) We will be your partners, not just for today, but for years to come, to encourage you to build on this strong foundation, ensure good governance, fight corruption, make every aspect of government policy and operation more transparent and accountable, respect individual rights, and make Senegal the shining example of what a free market democracy can look like in the world. (Applause.)
I want to be able to tell people around the world that because of this president’s leadership and that of his two esteemed predecessors, if you want to see a country that is on the road to progress and prosperity, go to Senegal. (Applause.)
Please join me now in welcoming my counterpart, Foreign Minister Gadio, to the podium. He will give some remarks before introducing His Excellency, President Wade. (Applause.)
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Dear Secretary of State Mrs Clinton,
as a Senegalese, I’m very disappointed to see Senegal being chosen by the Obama administration for the Millenium Challenge Account, the reason being the government of President Wade is one of the most corrupted government in the entire world. You can easily tell by paying attention to the number of individuals who traveled from Senegal to the United States to attend this ceremony (probably in the 100s). The majority of the people of Senegal already know that this money will end up in President Wade and his team own personal account instead of helping the Senegalese people.
You may not know that this government already wasted 10 millions dollars to buy a house in washington dc to be the future residence of the Senegalese Ambassador. In addition, bringing 100s of individuals from Senegal just to sign this contract has cost an enormous amount of money to Senegalese tax payers. This proves how wasteful this government of President Wade is. I hope the United States will try to find a different way to partner with the people of Senegal instead of just handing money to these individuals.
I think that money could’ve been invested in so many areas in Senegal by the US government. Our current government and its members are wasteful and always think about themselve first not the population.Just recently Senegal had some flooding issues in major part of the capital and guess what, when the popultion were losing their houses due to the flood the entire governement included the president were on vacation. seems like it didn’t bothered them that much. I think my country do deserve the MCC but should’ve been handled by the Us government because our government cant handle money and they never will and I really feel sorry for the harworking taxpayers who deserve a better life and not wondering every day.
Thank you both for your comments.
To Moustapha- I need to point out that this is a private blog and not the official website of the Secretary of State. If you want to contact the State Dept. or Secretary Clinton you need to go through http://www.state.gov.
Cheikh and Moustapha- I will say that this is not the first time I have heard complaints about how and where the MCC spends its money and I honestly don’t know how much oversight there is given the unique structure of the MCC and how they are governed. Just look at Honduras as an example- despite stopping some of the flow of money to the coup govt, MCC has apparently still left in place it’s multi-year contract or provision which allegedly is worth more than 100 million – I don’t know the exact amount because I see different figures everywhere but it has been a big source of controversy, albeit not so much in the mainstream American media.
I honestly don’t know who you would contact about your concerns because they sound very valid and it must be very frustrating to see so much money possibly going to waste when it is desperately needed by the people. I guess about the only thing I can think of is that you could try to contact the State Dept. directly to see if you can get any more information about the funds or to express your concerns.
As a Senegalese national, I wished that the American government had delayed the contract until we have a new administration. Hard luck, I guess.
Just before heading to the MCC, our president with his family, relatives, friends, and so-called scholars with their families stayed for a month in the most expensive suites in Switzerland and France. A period when most of our citizens were living in water due to flooding. A period when the population was living in a constant blackout due to electricity shortage.
Not to mention that his son had squandered millions of dollars two years ago in a project called ANOCI. If you can read french, please get hold of the book “Comptes et mecomptes de l’ANOCI” by Abdoul lalif Coulibaly. The same son who is now occupying the highest posts of our poor country.
By the way, the Foreign Minister Gadio who signed the contract was sacked yesterday. Nobody knows the causes of his sacking, but many believe the money of the MCC can be part of it. Now the president’s son can afford other private jets, unchecked.
And by the way, I understand this a private blog. Just hope that someone in the Obama administration runs through our contribution.
Sow