Thursday, February 11, 2010

Australia pledges to deepen support for Africa

The Australian government has pledged to deepen its commitment to Africa through development assistance and financial aid towards community development and poverty reduction.

This reflects Australia’s commitment to broadening and deepening engagement with Africa across a full spectrum of issues including enhance trade and commercial investments, strengthened diplomatic links and increased development assistance.

William Williams, the Australian High Commissioner in Ghana said: “Other areas of assistance which Australia will be extending to Africa will help build Africa’s human resource capacity through an expanded scholarships programme in areas of Australian expertise, such as agriculture, natural resource management, water and health, trade policy and economic governance.”

Australia has increased its development assistance to Africa by over 40 percent to AUD
$163.9 million in 2009-10.

Mr. Williams made these known in Accra at a ceremony to present cheques valued at GHC 743,125 to some twenty –four Ghanaian organizations and two others in Mali and Sierra Leone for its development grants programme for the 2009-2010 financial year.

“The assistance which are in three groups include Direct Aid Programme, the Africa Regional Small Activities Scheme and the Australian Human Rights Small Grants Scheme represent the largest amount of funding provided by Australia to its grants programmes in Ghana since 2004.”

He told B&FT that vigorous monitoring systems will be employed to ensure successful implementation of the project to promote community development and improve the lives of the under privilege in the communities.

“The High Commission is partnering these selected organisations, who have successfully gone through a rigorous and competitive process, to implement these development projects that will benefit the communities throughout the country.

Most of the project will be in the areas of education, solar energy, provision of street lights, health, and sanitation and the provision of potable water, refurbishment of school buildings, skills training projects, assistance to three women co-operatives and human rights advocacy.

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