Development Cooperation
Australia's Development Assistance to Africa
Australia\'s development assistance to Africa supports poverty reduction through more equitable access to the benefits of inclusive and sustainable growth.
The Australian Embassy in Harare manages Australian Aid funding for Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Republic of Congo (ROC) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Zimbabwe
The Australian Government has maintained a large and highly effective development assistance program in Zimbabwe which has had positive and tangible impacts on substantial numbers of people. Through a range of partners, including multilateral agencies, other donors and NGOs, the program has delivered almost AU$280 million of assistance between 2008 and 2014, carefully targeted to address some of the key social and economic challenges facing the country:
- In partnership with UNICEF, Germany’s GIZ and NGOs it has supported water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities in 20 small and medium-sized towns, through rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved billing and revenue collection services, and increased efficiency of local council operations.
- It has invested in ZimFund, a pooled financing mechanism managed by the African Development Bank. ZimFund focuses on infrastructure investments in water and sanitation, and in the energy sector which are critical to the economic recovery of Zimbabwe.
- It has played a central role in the Zimbabwe window of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), a competitive, private sector-focused grants and loans activity. AECF is designed to help revive the Zimbabwean rural economy, particularly agribusinesses and rural finance sector, through development of innovative enterprises that meet the needs of smallholder farmers and the rural poor.
- It has also helped efforts to build a more peaceful and democratic political environment in Zimbabwe, through activities such as supporting the development of a new constitution.
Zambia, Malawi, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo
The program in Zambia, Malawi, ROC and DRC is primarily focused on social and community development projects through Australian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their local partners. In Zambia, we are also supporting the development of key technical skills in the mining sector.
For general information about Australia\'s development assistance to Africa, please click here.
The Direct Aid Program (DAP)
The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a flexible, small grants scheme for development activities managed by Heads of Australian Missions in approximately 45 countries. The emphasis of the program is on alleviating basic humanitarian hardships. The Direct Aid Program, managed by the Embassy in Harare provides funding for an average of 30 projects per year from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, the DRC and the ROC.
It is important to familiarize yourself with the DAP guidelines before you apply.
Applications can be done online in scheduled application rounds. Our 2018-2019 application round is now open and will close on 15 September 2018 at midnight. Please follow https://dap.smartygrants.com.au/HarareDAP_2018-2019_round1 to fill and submit your application. If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Australia Awards Scholarships
The Australia Awards Scholarships program provides opportunities to undertake full-time postgraduate study in Australia or participate in short courses (Australia Awards Africa Fellowships) in sectors that are identified as development priorities by partner countries or that align with Australia’s focus areas in partner countries. Agriculture and extractives are two of the key focus sectors for the Australian aid program, but scholarships may also be provided in other areas where there is significant potential for individuals to contribute to the development of their countries when they return home from study.
The Awards program also helps build people-to-people links between Australia and professionals across Africa, with the ultimate aim of building durable and personal bonds with our partner countries. For more information on the Awards program in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo – including how to apply for a scholarship – please visit the Australia Africa Awards homepage.
Australian Awards Alumni Associations
Returned Australian Awards scholars are encouraged to join and actively participate in their national Alumni Association. Alumni associations for Zambia and Malawi are already established and active. Please click on the links below for the Zambia and Malawi alumni association homepages. A Zimbabwe Alumni Association webpage will soon be going live. Until then, please refer to the Association’s Facebook page.
NGO Cooperation Program
The Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) supports Australian NGO activities which directly and tangibly alleviate poverty in developing countries through community-led development projects. In Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and DRC, the ANCP delivers projects across a range of sectors including education, health, water supply and sanitation, civil society, peacebuilding, food security, facilitating access to markets, improving livelihoods for women, and working to strengthen links between communities, government and the private sector.