Four persons, two males and two females, have begun their six months internship program with the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) as part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Africa’s Promise Initiative.
The interns; Esmond Mahama Anarigede, Derrick Amanor Narkah, Khadijatu Iddrisu and Dzifa Adadevoh will support the implementation of various projects under the Ghana Power Compact Programme.
Martin Eson-Benjamin, CEO of MiDA, at a ceremony held on Monday, May 21 welcomed the interns and congratulated them for their success in the recruitment process.
“Out of the over 60 candidates who applied to participate in this year’s program, you four were successful and that speaks to your quality and the effort you put into this exercise”, he noted.
The Africa’s Promise initiative is targeted at Africans with ages below 35, who make up nearly 60 percent of the Continent’s population.
The initiative seeks to empower the African youth through the opportunity to work on Compact Programs being implemented by their home countries.
Africa’s Promise interns will support large-scale development projects that make up MCC-funded compact programs with a focus on reducing poverty through economic growth.
They will study best practices on project management – including financial and public sector management – in the local country context and be exposed to targeted professional development and networking opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
“MiDA’s interns are expected to support the implementation of the various projects under the Power Compact and acquire skills that would undoubtedly prepare you for the job market in Ghana after the six months internship” Mr Eson-Benjamin said.
Khadijatu Iddrisu, one of the interns extended gratitude on behalf of all the interns for the opportunity MiDA has offered to them.
”We are extremely grateful and looking forward to an exciting and productive six month stay with MiDA,” she noted.
Ghana is the first, among six other countries namely Benin, Liberia, Malawi, Morocco, Niger and Zambia, to pilot the initiative.
Some facts about Africa’s Promise Initiative
- Africa’s Promise internships will be established and run by the host government implementing entity for MCC compacts, typically known as a Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).
- Each year two batches of interns will spend six months at MiDA, the MCA for Ghana
- The program will run concurrently with the implementation of the Power Compact and will end in September 2021.
- Africa’s Promise initiative was announced on August 3, 2016 by the US Government.
- The aim of the initiative is to build the technical and leadership skills of African Youth and expand their horizons.
- Interns are competitively selected by a process established by each Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) – the host government implementing entity for MCC compacts.
- Notices of vacancies are published on MiDA’s website; mida.gov.gh with application instructions.
- The next batch of interns would be recruited in November 2018.
