USAID exec in Manila to discuss US government's financial initiatives

MANILA, Philippines – Maura O’Neill, chief innovation officer and senior counselor to the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will lead the launch of the Scaling Innovations in Mobile Money (SIMM) project today.

The SIMM project aims to give Filipinos easier and more efficient access to banking and payment services through mobile phones.

During her four-day visit to Manila beginning today, O’Neill will discuss with Philippine government officials and stakeholders how the US government financial initiative promotes inclusive growth and expands Filipino citizens’ access to financial services.

She will also meet with local civil society organizations to enhance and strengthen USAID partnerships with local institutions, in line with the agency’s local capacity building.

USAID’s reform initiative, USAID Forward, seeks to engage more local partners and emphasize innovation and results to attain high-impact development.

The series of activities to be attended by O’Neill are in support of the US-Philippines Partnership for Growth signed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario last November.

The Partnership for Growth seeks to help the country attain sustained inclusive high growth by addressing the most serious constraints.

The Philippines is one of four countries in the world where the US government, through Partnership for Growth, brings its federal agencies together to provide a whole-of-government approach to advance economic development in a country.