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$218.6 Million Contract Awarded to Bolster Afghanistan's Public, Private Sectors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2007
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has awarded BearingPoint Inc. a $218.6 million contract to further support the Afghan people. In addition to ongoing activities in the education, infrastructure, health, agriculture and other sectors, USAID has developed the Afghans Building Capacity Program (ABC) -- a signature capacity building initiative. ABC is among the largest individual contracts to date awarded by the United States to help rebuild the country since the fall of Taliban in 2001.

The contract is to run through January 2012 and seeks to:

• Strengthen the performance of ministries, businesses, non-governmental organizations, universities and local governments
• Establish permanent, sustainable capacity in the public, private and higher education sectors
• Build the skills of key personnel in the Afghan public and private sectors, through scholarships

"Capacity building is an essential part of the United State's strategy to assist Afghanistan as it emerges from several decades of war and turmoil," said Mark Ward, USAID's Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Asia and the Near East Bureau. "By strengthening some of the building blocks of civil society - robust government institutions, strong private enterprise and capable, knowledgeable workers - Afghans will be poised to bring stability, and in time, prosperity to their country."

Based in McLean, Va., BearingPoint Inc. provides management and technology consulting services to global companies and government organizations around the world.

For more information about USAID's efforts in Afghanistan, visit our website at www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/afghanistan.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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