I am pleased to present the 2014–15 Annual Report for the National Development Agency (NDA), which outlines the considerable progress we have made for the period under review as outlined in the Strategic Plan. As they say, every journey begins with one small step. Seventeen years ago, Cabinet approved the establishment of the NDA, with a specific mandate to eradicate poverty through partnership between the Government and civil society organisations (CSOs).

Looking at the history, issues and challenges of the Agency seventeen years on would enable us to appreciate how far the Agency has come and achieved throughout the years. While the challenges facing the country are now different to when the Agency was established in 1998, the overriding mandate and the relevance of the Agency remain more important than ever before, particularly in this harsh economic period.