US To Aid 2015 Election With 51 Million Dollars
The United States Government has said it would give the Federal Government the sum of 51 million dollars (about N8.4 billion) to aid credible elections in Nigeria in 2015 and other electoral process in the next five years.
NAN reports that the announcement was contained in a “Fact Sheet” issued on Tuesday by the White House in Washington DC, highlighting the U.S support for democratic institutions, good governance and human rights in Africa.
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The publication was released alongside the commencement of the US-Africa Leaders Summit currently taking place in Washington DC, which is being attended by 50 leaders from around the world, including Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the publication, the U.S was working with other donors to support Nigeria’s electoral management bodies and strengthen the ability of the country’s civil society to promote electoral reforms. It was also revealed that part of the funds will be spent on expanding voter education, as well as on monitoring electoral processes in the run-up to the 2015 elections.The U.S government also announced that it had launched "Making All Voices Count", a programme aimed at supporting innovation and research that would empower citizens in some countries to engage with government.
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"The project is being executed in partnership with other governments and private foundations. The partnership with the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Omidyar Network, and the Open Society Foundations, is providing 55 million dollars globally in support and in capacity building from 2013 through 2017,'' it stated.It listed the African countries that are going to benefit from the first round of grants on the programme, totaling 2.5 million dollars to include Nigeria, South Africa, Liberia and Ghana.
It would be recalled that on Sunday, August 3, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly arrived the United States of America to participate in a three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit.
Source: Legit.ng
