Peter MacKay announces $5M CIDA contribution to Dalhousie-led international development project

Today Peter MacKay, MP for Central Nova and Regional Minister for Nova Scotia, announced nearly $5-million in funding over five years for a Dalhousie-led development project in Cuba. The funding is a contribution from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the announcement took place at the Coady International Institute in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Key Points:

• Dalhousie University has a longstanding relationship with Cuban partners. This five-year project will continue nurturing that relationship by supporting local economic growth and increasing food security in four eastern provinces: Las Tunas, Granma, Guantanamo, and Santiago de Cuba. These four provinces have been identified by the Cuban government as disadvantaged provinces that will benefit the most from this work.

• This is the fourth Faculty of Management-led project taking place in Cuba and includes expertise from all schools within it: Public Administration, Business Administration, Resource and Environmental Studies, and Information Management. As a result of this combined effort, hundreds of local and provincial officials in Cuba will strengthen their capacity to plan, implement and assess local economic development strategies and initiatives. The project will also help Cuban partners develop and implement industrial techniques that produce food using less imported energy and resources.

• The project will enhance the business skills of small farmers, enterprise owners and cooperatives, providing support and technical assistance to micro-enterprise agricultural and food production. It will train hundreds of small farmers; increase the access to and availability of micro-credit; and increase the environmental sustainability of small food producing and processing businesses. The project was designed to build off the successes of previous Dalhousie-led efforts in Cuba.

Pull Quotes:

• “This project will help to contribute to food security and greater economic activity, which will result in people having greater access to food that they can buy locally… It’s about moving Cuba to a more self-sustaining economy that can produce the food needed to feed its own people.” -- Martine Durier-Copp, Project Director, School of Public Administration.

• "This Dalhousie-led project aims to support the Cuban government’s new local economic development initiatives by working with Cuban universities, ministries and municipalities to build capacity in local economic development and enhance food security in the four eastern provinces of the country. The project will draw on experience which Dalhousie faculty and staff have gained through almost 20 years of continued collaboration with Cuban partners. The university is grateful to CIDA for its contribution to this important initiative."” -- Martha Crago, Vice-President of Research, Dalhousie University.

• “Canadians want to make a difference for those in need around the world, and they expect real results from Canada's international assistance. Our Government will work with Canadian universities to deliver tangible results for people in developing countries. By tapping into their expertise, Canada will help provide support to people in need, giving them the economic tools they need to become self-sufficient over the long term.” -- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Regional Minister for Nova Scotia.

Images:

Martine Durier-Copp, The Hon. Peter MacKay and Pat Rodee, Director of International Research and Development. Download Hi-Res

Contacts:

• Nikki Comeau, Communications Officer, Communications and Marketing, 902.494.4189, nikki.comeau@dal.ca
• Andrea MacDonald, Special Assistant (Communications) to The Hon. Peter MacKay, 902.426.7205, andrea.macdonald@forces.gc.ca