Washington — U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer Daniel W. Yohannes arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi, July 11 for a series of meetings with President Joyce Banda and government officials.

While in Malawi, Yohannes will also meet with members of the country’s civil society and private sector, MCC said in a July 12 press release.

In June 2012, MCC reinstated the Malawi compact, a $350.7 million grant designed to revitalize the country’s power sector. The compact had been placed on operational hold in July 2011 and formally suspended in March 2012 because of a pattern of actions by the government of Malawi that conflicted with the democratic governance criteria MCC uses to select compact partners. Since President Banda’s inauguration, she and her administration have demonstrated their commitment to reversing this pattern.

“The relationship between the United States and Malawi is strengthened by our shared commitment to democratic governance,” Yohannes said, according to the press release. “President Banda deserves much credit for the bold reforms she is undertaking.

“Yet I share her recognition that this work would not be possible without the support of the people of Malawi. They will need to continue to take the courageous steps necessary to deepen this country’s democracy.”

While in Malawi, Yohannes will visit the Bunda electrical substation, which is scheduled for rehabilitation under the MCC compact. He will be accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Jeanine Jackson.

MCC’s Malawi compact will reduce poverty in Malawi by improving the availability, reliability and quality of the country’s power supply. The compact will fund rehabilitation, upgrades and modernization of power systems, and will support the government of Malawi’s policy reform agenda in building capacity and providing technical assistance in critical sector institutions.

An estimated 5 million Malawians will benefit from the compact over the next 25 years through reduced energy costs and improved productivity in the agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors.

Following Yohannes’ visit, an MCC technical mission will travel to Lilongwe to prepare for compact implementation, including carrying out a reassessment of project activities after nearly a year of inactivity.