CEO Albright hopeful of accomplishing MCC project on time

KATHMANDU: Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Alice Albright said she was confident and optimistic for timely completion of the MCC project.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, visiting CEO Albright mentioned she found the Nepal government and other stakeholders effortful with dedication for its implementation as the project has to be completed within five years since its commencement.

“MCA Nepal has the responsibility for MCC implementation. This is a structure under the Nepal government”, she added.

CEO Albright shared that projects under MCC have been executed in different parts of the world and stressed the need of cooperation from all sides to overcome challenges to be evolved in the course of its implementation.

Sharing that the high-level meetings and discussions during her Nepal visit were fruitful, she said matters related to the successful implementation of the project were discussed on the occasion.

During her stay, CEO Albright-led delegation had called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli, Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, Minister for Finance Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala among others.

Noting that MCC has already entered into implementation and she was very excited after the high-level meetings and discussions. Albright expressed her confidence that the project would be completed in the designated period.

The MCC CEO further mentioned they had agreed and accepted the interpretive declaration attached to MCC while endorsing the MCC related proposal from the parliament.

She further said MCC was a crucial part of the US foreign grants assistance and its execution believably would further deepen the Nepal-US relations.

Further, CEO Albright expressed her hope that the project would help develop reliable electricity service and road networking as well as open up avenues for electricity export through the construction of transmission lines.

She went on saying that the projects under such grants would contribute to the economic growth of Nepal.

Under the grants programme, the Nepal government and MCC have anticipated improvements of roads and enhanced reliable access of Nepali people to the clean and affordable energy, she said, adding it would help strengthen energy and transport sectors.

CEO Albright said the Nepal government itself has also made investment in the project so the Nepal government has shown strong commitment to the project keeping it under the national pride project category.

Also on the occasion, US Ambassador Dean Thompson and MCA Nepal’s Executive Director Khadga Bahadur Bista also responded to the queries of journalists on the project affairs.

The MCC compact has already entered into execution since last August 30. The MCC compact was signed between the Nepal government and MCC under the US government on 14 September 2017.

After a long debate, the parliament had endorsed the compact last year.

There is a provision in the compact that the power transmission lines and roads construction project should be completed within five years since the commencement of the project execution.