Malindi, 28th March 2023 – The second phase of the 'Malindi Integrated Social and Health Development Programme' (MISHDP) initiative was officially launched today during an event organized by the Coastal Development Authority (CDA) of Kenya. The ceremony was held in Malindi at the presence of Mr. Giovanni Grandi, Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Aics) in Nairobi, H. E. Gideon Mung'aro, Governor of Kilifi County, Idris Dokota, Permanent Secretary of the Department of State of the Arid and Semi-Arid Areas and Economic Development of Kenya, representatives of the CDA, local authorities and the beneficiary community.
The event marks the beginning of an important initiative which aims to accelerate the development of Malindi and Magarini sub-counties in Kilifi through interventions in the sectors of education, health, and infrastructure and for the strengthening of local institutions. The initiative is financed by Italy through a subsidized loan worth 6.4 million Euros, and is implemented by the CDA. The interventions include, among others, the construction of a tarmac road, which represents the only access route to the Ngomeni peninsula and is therefore of strategic importance for the economy of the entire area, the construction of an intensive care unit at the Malindi Hospital, the construction of classrooms and the introduction of an award scheme for young students.
The first phase of MISHDP was financed by the Italian Cooperation and implemented by the CDA: it ended in 2012 and was focused on the development of Malindi and Magarini. This first phase saw the construction of basic infrastructures in the health, education and infrastructural sectors in the areas adjacent to the "Luigi Broglio" Italian Space Center in Malindi, recently visited by the President of the Republic of Italy Sergio Mattarella.
'The first series of interventions was conceived as a first step towards the integrated development of the area' said Giovanni Grandi, Head of Aics Office in Nairobi. 'Through phase II, the Italian Cooperation intends to renew its support to the Government of Kenya in its efforts to improve access to basic services for the population, according to the approach of partnership that defines the relationship of friendship and cooperation between Italy and Kenya'.
