Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 316: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs, further to Parliamentary Question No. 102 of 6 February 2008, the funding provided to each country in Africa in each of the past five years; his plans to include additional donor countries based on the level of migration to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5200/08]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Irish Aid delivers assistance to over 30 countries in Africa and has developed long term partnerships with seven of these countries which are known as programme countries. These are Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia and Malawi. Asia, Vietnam and East Timor are also designated as programme countries. These partnerships allow Irish Aid to provide significant, predictable bilateral assistance in a structured and targeted way. The table below sets out the figures for the funding to our African Programme Countries for the last five years.

The White Paper on Irish Aid, published in September 2006, commits to increasing the number of our programme countries from eight to ten. Malawi has been selected as our ninth partner country and a programme of development cooperation will begin there this year. The White Paper describes the criteria used for deciding on a programme country. These include: a strong focus on addressing poverty, the partner country being one of the Least Developed Countries; ensuring that there is scope for Ireland to be of real assistance, taking into account our track record, skills and experience; adequate governance and a commitment to fight corruption; and a demonstrated capacity on the part of the partner government to take ownership of the country's development process and lead the work of its donors in line with its own priorities. In addition, the political environment of the country should be sufficiently stable as to allow Irish Aid staff to deliver an aid programme.