MCI Holds a Regional Partnership Meeting in Mekelle

The Regional Partnership to Promote Trade and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa, a project being implemented by the Millennium Cities Initiative and three of the Millennium Cities themselves with the support of the Government of Finland, held a regional meeting in the Millennium City of Mekelle, Ethiopia, from May 7 to 9, 2012. The meeting, including representatives of Mekelle and the two other Millennium Cities, Kumasi, Ghana, and Tabora, Tanzania, was aimed at exchanging experiences gained by the cities in strengthening their investment promotion and discussing the implementation progress of the project’s many activities. Organized and led by MCI Senior Investment advisors Joerg Simon and Karin Millett, the meeting was also attended by a representative of the Government of Finland and a number of private sector representatives of Mekelle who contributed to several lively discussions on how best to ensure productive and sustainable private sector investment.

Presentations on progress made in the the three cities of the Regional Partnership were made for Mekelle, Ethioppia by Mr. Moges Mesfin, MCI investment specialist for Mekelle; for Tabora, Tanzania by Mr. Deo Msilu, MCI investment specialist; and for Kumasi, Ghana by Ms. Abenaa Akuamoa-Boateng, MCI Regional Coordinator for West Africa, and Mr. Anthony Owusu, MCI investment speciliast. The progress report for the three cities can be founds here: Mekelle, Tabora, and Kumasi, as well as the MCI New York progress report.

MCI Director Susan Blaustein also visited several social sector projects in Mekelle, including an innovative sanitary pad-making program, Girls2Women, created by Columbia nursing school colleagues, the Mekelle schools and the Tigrai Regional Health Bureau, to help keep girls in school.