Minister Abela distributes €459,283 in grants to local development NGOs during Africa Day commemoration event
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela distributed €459,283 in grants to seven local development NGOs that are to implement eight projects in Africa in the coming months to reach among the most vulnerable, and in contributing to Malta’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy and progress of international development in targeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The projects are located in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, and Uganda.
Minister Abela highlighted that, “this annual event at the ministry was intentionally being held on the eve of Africa Day to celebrate recent achievements of Africa and to underline Malta’s willingness to collaborate with African countries in their social and economic progress.”
Minister Carmelo Abela praised the local NGOs for their crucial work, particularly on development, and for their role in contributing to the realisation of the government’s vision in Africa. “Indeed, these meaningful projects also open windows of opportunity for local businesses in identifying and meeting social and economic requirements through the high investment potential in Sub-Saharan Africa that would emerge in the process, while financial assistance from the ministry would be exclusively targeted to the NGOs.”
He commended the work synergy that exists between the ministry and the local development NGOs especially in continually adapting Malta’s ODA policy based on real need and effectiveness for the local community. This synergy is being further bolstered by the expansion of Malta’s diplomatic representation in Africa, by means of the opening of the High Commission in Accra, Ghana, in 2018, and the appointment of Malta’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Ethiopia, who is also the designate Representative of Malta to the African Union, as well as the Special Representative of Malta to the countries in the Horn of Africa.
Present at the event were the High Commissioner of Ghana to Malta Mercy Bampo Addo, High Commissioner of Malta in Ghana Jean Claude Galea Mallia, and Non-Resident Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ronald Micallef. Also in attendance were students from Ghana and Nigeria, who have been awarded scholarships at a Master’s degree level, offered by the University of Malta and financed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion as part of diverse ODA capacity-building measures that the ministry is coordinating in Malta, which are reaping excellent results in advancing sustainable international development in line with the 2030 UN Agenda.
