Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Acting CEO Jonathan Nash will welcome President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara at the U.S. Department of State for the signing of a new $525 million MCC compact with the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

The ceremony will formalize MCC’s Côte d’Ivoire Compact, which will spur economic growth and private investment to reduce poverty and support regional stability in West Africa. MCC’s investments in Côte d’Ivoire support building workforce capacity by expanding access to secondary education and training, and improving the transportation infrastructure to facilitate trade and open new markets for goods. The Government of Côte d’Ivoire is expected to contribute an additional $22 million to support the compact.

Compacts are MCC’s largest grants, and country partners are chosen through a competitive selection process among the best-governed poor countries.