U.S.

Embassy Dar es Salaam

TANZANIA

December 18, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement from Ambassador Mark B. Childress on decision by the
Millennium Challenge Corporation to defer vote on Tanzania compact eligibility
On Wednesday, December 16, the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) did
not select Tanzania for a second compact. The Board deferred the vote on a second compact
pending the resolution of governance concerns.
The Board may revisit Tanzanias eligibility over the course of 2016. I remain hopeful that the
Government of Tanzania will take steps to resolve MCCs governance concerns in the near
future. The Board could then vote to re-select Tanzania and approve compact development.
The Boards governance concerns reflect longstanding MCC principles. The nullification of
election results in Zanzibar halted an otherwise orderly and peaceful electoral process. The use
of the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 during the elections to arrest individuals accredited by the
National Electoral Commission inhibited fundamental freedoms of expression and association.
MCC has been encouraged by newly-elected President Magufulis recent steps to strengthen the
fight against mismanagement and corruption, and hopes those efforts will continue and result in
systemic change.
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686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
Telephone +255-22-229-4000, Fax +255-22-229-4722
http://tanzania.usembassy.gov