Ooredoo Myanmar and UNDP Myanmar today signed a Partnership Agreement to support the implementation of the Sustainable Enterprises and Agricultural Development (SEAD) Project. The project aims to establish an inclusive and sustainable rural development model in Myanmar’s Dry Zone leveraging Ooredoo’s advanced mobile technology and UNDP’s experience in promoting climate resilient farming practices in the Dry Zone region of Myanmar. 130 target villages in Myingyan and Nyaung U townships are expected to directly benefit from the 15 months project.
This partnership marks an important milestone for the Ooredoo Myanmar-UNDP partnership in Myanmar. The SEAD project will provide an agricultural support package to vulnerable farming communities in the dry zone to promote income diversification and resilient livelihoods. It will also provide virtual climate advisory services and promote sustainable agricultural and livestock breeding practices in partnership with key government counterparts. Finally, the project will help match supply with the demand for sustainable farming and related inputs and services; support value addition in the agriculture and livestock sectors; and connect farmers to markets and credit (through use of mobile money).
“We are pleased to announce this partnership with UNDP mainly because we believe that mobile technology plays an important role in rural development. This project is aligned with our vision of “Enriching people’s digital lives” because improving access to mobile communications and information technologies for rural communities is essential to connect them to a world that will open up with greater opportunities and knowledge sharing enabling fast-track development. We are proud to be a part of this digital transformation that will create a better life for everyone” said Mr. Rajeev Sethi, CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar.
“The private sector has a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. With this realization, UNDP Myanmar and Ooredoo Myanmar signed an MoU in November 2018 committing to collaborate and innovate for the achievement of the SDGs in Myanmar. UNDP is pleased to continue this partnership through the SEAD project. The SEAD project will make it possible for rural communities to overcome specific bottlenecks and realize more of their potential through mobile market linkages as well as enhanced productive capacities,” said Mr. Gordon Johnson, UNDP Resident Representative a.i.
Ooredoo Myanmar and UNDP Myanmar signed a MoU on 9 November 2018 entering into a two-year partnership to undertake catalytic joint activities to unlock the potential of digital technologies for the achievement of the SDGs in Myanmar. Since the signing of the MoU, Ooredoo and UNDP have successfully organized two rounds of Hackathons in 2018 and 2019, and launched the Ooredoo-UNDP SDG Incubation Hub in October 2019.
