In July 2008, the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year, $304.5 million compact with the Government of Namibia to reduce poverty and accelerate economic growth. The compact sought to improve the quality of education and training for underserved populations, and attempted to capitalize on Namibia’s comparative advantages (e.g., large areas of semi-arid communal land suitable for livestock, and diverse wildlife and unique landscapes ideal for ecotourism) to increase the incomes of poor Namibians in the northern areas of the country.