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ETHIOPIA In Focus 
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Development cooperation WB Earmarks 100 Million For Ethiopia's Development Program The World Bank has allocated US$ 100 million to help Ethiopia's Education Sector Development Program (ESDP). According to a document obtained from the Bank, the Bank's five year ESDP which was launched in 1998 would help Ethiopia move closer to the Global Education for All (EFA) which has the goal of ensuring the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) by 2015.It said EFA would help children; especially girls, children under difficult circumstances, and those from ethnic minorities to have access to and complete free and compulsory education of good quality. According to the document Global Education for all also aims to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005. The ESDP includes components on primary and secondary education, technical and vocational education and training teacher training, adult non-formal and special education, institutional development and distance education. The Bank said it was planning to work with the Government to prepare an education Country Status Paper (CSR) that would update and consolidate knowledge on the education sector to assist in the preparation of future interventions. In Ethiopia enrollment rates at the primary level rose from approximately 30 per cent in 1998 to 57 per cent today with girls enrollment increasing from 26 per cent to 47 per cent over the same period, it was learnt. The Ethiopian Herald, June 4, 2002 Ethiopia, France Sign 11.4 Mln Birr Grant Agreement
The Governments of France and Ethiopia signed an 11.4 million Birr (USD
1= 8.56 Birr) grant agreement .The grant would primarily be used to enhance
the over all capacity of the Addis Ababa urban development program. According
to the agreement, the fund would also enable to design and implement selected
strategic projects as well as to contribute to better city governance
through information sharing networks. Ethio-German Bilateral Cooperation to be Consolidated: Leaders Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany said the bilateral economic cooperation between Ethiopia and Germany would further be consolidated. During talks held in Berlin, the leaders of the two countries said the development cooperation existing between the two countries is now at satisfactory stage but has to be further strengthened. Meles expressed his firm belief that Germany, Ethiopia's leading economic partner among the member countries of European Union, would continue its poverty alleviation assistance to the country. Schroeder on his part told the Prime Minister that German businessmen have strong desire to invest in Ethiopia. It is for the first time in 34 years for Ethiopian high-level delegation to visit Germany at prime minister level. Meles's visit to Germany would further consolidate the bilateral cooperation and relations existing between the two countries, a spokesperson for the Ethiopian delegation said. ENA, February 6, 2002
Ethiopia and Djibouti have signed a cooperation agreement to work together in various sectors of the economy. The agreement signed here recently provides for Ethio-Djibouti cooperation in the areas of port utilization, use of the corridor, trade, investment, infrastructure as well as road and air transport. The agreement came following a four-day bilateral meeting held here between high-level delegations of the two countries. Girma Birru, Ethiopian Minister of Trade and Industry and Yacin Elmi Bouh, Djiboutian Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning in charge of Privatization signed the agreement. The meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, which reflects the existing excellent relations between the two countries, based on good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation, according to a joint communiqu¨¦ issued. The two sides have agreed to work together for the full implementation of the different agreements of cooperation in order to further strengthen the economic relations that exist between the two countries. Both sides have also agreed to find effective and durable solutions for the issues that have not made any significant progress in order to build a strong and mutually beneficial partnership, the communique indicated. ENA February 10, 2002 EEPCO, Chinese Construction Firm Sign Project Agreement The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) and JV CWGS, a Chinese-based construction firm signed an over 1.9 billion Birr (1USD =8.56Birr) agreement to implement the Tekezze hydro-electric power project. EEPCO General Manager, Mihiret Debebe and President of China National Water Resources and Hydroelectric Power Engineering Corporation, Guo Jiantang signed the Agreement. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mihret said that the project was expected to boost the generation capacity of the system by 300 Mega Watt. He said the project was also deemed to meet and guarantee the ever-increasing demand and reliability of the system. The power generated from Tekezze would be directly connected to Metema through Gondar sub-station and through Mekele to Alamata, Kombolcha and Kotebe. Gou Jiantang said on his part that the construction of the project would surely play an important role in the economic development endeavors in Ethiopia. The president has also pledged to complete the construction activity of the project as per schedule. WIC June 8, 2002 IFAD, Ethiopia Sign over 20 million USD Loan Agreement The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Ethiopia signed an over 20 million US dollars loan agreement in January. Ethiopian Ambassador to Rome and IFAD assistant president signed the agreement. It is learnt that 1.5 million USD of the loan was earmarked for the execution of the program designed to support low-income people living in rural areas of the country. The Ethiopian Ambassador Halima said on the occasion that Ethiopia was desirous to bolster its cooperation and relations with the IFAD. The assistant president also said IFAD will continue supporting Ethiopia's poverty reduction initiatives. WIC January 15, 2002 Ethiopia, Algeria Agree to Bolster Cooperation The governments of Ethiopia and Algeria have agreed to reinforce their economic cooperation in the years ahead. A joint communiqu¨¦ issued at the conclusion of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's recent official visit to Algeria said the two governments reached a consensus to strengthen their diplomatic relations by creating an enabling environment for a multifarious economic cooperation. The two leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and expressed their countries' readiness to continue support for the implementation of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity's decisions passed against to fight terrorism. The two parties also, among other issues, reaffirmed their respect for the United Nations charter and principles and expressed their full support for the establishment of the African Union. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Meles also expressed their desire to see a genuine and sustainable peace in the Middle East. The leaders said African countries should work jointly with the developed nations for the success of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). The communiqu¨¦ indicated that president Bouteflika has accepted Prime Minister Meles' invitation to pay an official visit to Ethiopia. WIC January 22, 2002 President Girma Woldegiorgis said that the Ethio-Egyptian economic cooperation should cement on the joint endeavors envisaged to develop of the Nile basins. Conferring with the Egyptian delegation led by chairperson of Irrigation and Agricultural Committee for the Senate, Engineer Ibrahim Saad Hagras, President Girma has underscored the key role that could be played by the governments of the two countries in helping implement the Nile Basin Initiatives (NBI). The president said that the NBI is thought to be instrumental in expediting economic development among the riparian countries. The delegation has assured president Girma of Egypt's commitment to exploit the potential of the Nile basins in cooperation with the riparian countries on the basis of mutual trust and understanding. The Ethiopian Herald February 7, 2002 EEPCo, US Co. Sign Power Generation Agreement The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) and Cal Tech International, a US based company, have signed an agreement for the generation of hydro electric power at the Chamoga Yeda river in Gojjam, Amhara state. The corporation said that Cal Tech will generate and sell to the corporation electric power ranging from 300 to 400 Mega Watt. The corporation will utilize the electric power for domestic purposes or for export. Cal Tech will carry out detailed study on the hydro power capacity of the river as well as on the cost and duration of the construction, EEPCo said. EEPCo General Manager, Mihret Debebe and Cal Tech Vice President P. Martin signed the agreement. ENA June, 2002 Girma Calls for Active Participation in PRSP Formulation, Implementation President Girma Wolde-Ghiorgis has called upon civil societies, development partners and the public at large to enhance their roles in helping complete the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which is now at the final phase of formulation. Opening the federal PRSP formulation consultative meeting recently, Girma said the development activists would have an irreplaceable share in complementing the government's poverty reduction endeavors. He said the scrupulous preparation and implementation of the PRSP is a bedrock for a country like Ethiopia, where 45 percent of the population has been mired in abject poverty. The Ethiopian government has taken encouraging re-structuring policy measures believed to be instrumental in redressing the interwoven socio-economic plights of the country over the last few years, Girma said. The president has urged all development players to join forces towards reducing the biting poverty, and thereby bringing about the much-needed socio-economic transformation in the country. ENA March 28, 2002 Authority to Build 38,278km Roads Ethiopian Road Authority says 38,278-km new roads would be built across the nation during the next five years under the second road sector development program. Human resources and finance sector deputy general manager, Geleso Bure, told ENA that over 28 billion Birr has been allocated for the program. The reconstruction, upgrading and expansion of 10,994-km roads would also be carried out in the reported period, Geleso said. He said ERA has managed to raise the total length of roads in the country from 23,000-km to 30,000-km in the past decade. The authority has also repaired 4,000-km roads in the stated period, according to the deputy-general manger. Currently, he said, the construction of over 5,156-km roads was being undertaken with a fund obtained from the European Commission, World Bank, African Development Bank and various other international organizations. ENA May 24, 2002 Meles Urges Partners To Continue Supporting AfDB's Reform Efforts Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Africa's development partners should continue to support the reform efforts the African Development Bank (AfDB) was undergoing saying, "the Bank is as much theirs as it is ours". In a statement he made at the opening of "The 2002 Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank Group", held in Addis Ababa, the Prime Minister underlined the need for Africa's development partners to continue to provide the African Development funds (ADF) on a timely basis. "The delays in replenishing the ADF IX resources are a cause for serious concerns for all of us," Meles said, and called on the continent's development partners to finalize the ADF IX financing arrangement at the earliest opportunity. Prime Minster Meles said the African members of the Bank should be at the head of the intra-bank reform efforts and fully support the management team in this difficult reform exercise. "Unless the Bank can clean its house, it will not deserve the trust that Africa's development partners have placed in it, and will cease to exist as an effective development bank," he said. In his address titled, "enhancing the development effectiveness of the African development bank," the AfDB President, Omar Kabbaj said "Lending, grant and debt relief activities reached a level of 3 billion USD- the highest in ten years, and representing an increase of 20 per cent over the previous year." WIC May 28, 2002
The Committee of the European Development Fund (EDF) unanimously endorsed approximately 457.5 million Birr (US1= Birr 8.56) to Ethiopia for the fiscal years 2002/2004. In a press briefing he gave, Ambassador Yves Gazzo, head of delegation of the European Commission to Ethiopia said the Fund was allocated for Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) and to finance the Jimma Road project. Gazzo said 330 million Birr of the stated sum was set aside for PRBS while the balance for supplemental financing of the Jimma Road project. State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Mulu Ketsela said on her part that EU has been playing an important role in assisting the economic development program of Ethiopia. ENA May 24, 2002 Health Program Focuses On Provision Of Quality Services Minister of Health said the second Phase of the Health Sector Development programme (HSDP II) was designed to provide quality, comprehensive, integrated as well as equitable health services throughout the nation. At a press conference he gave Dr. Kebede Tadesse said the programme, which mainly focuses on the preventive approach would be instrumental in the expansion of primary health services in various parts of the country. The first phase of the programme was successful in the construction and expansion of health service rendering institutions, he said, adding that the second phase was intended to improve the quality of the services of the health facilities. Dr. Kebede said a series of capacity building programmes would be carried out with a view to creating efficient and effective management in the health sector. Dr. Kebede also said the programme encourages and assists traditional medicine practitioners in utilizing indigenous knowledge in a bid to contain the widespread of contagious diseases. Speaking on the occasion, World Health Organization Representative and Chief of Mission Dr. Michel Jancloes said donor agencies were ready to provide assistance in the human-resources development endeavour. WIC June 5, 2002
July 2002 Vol.4 No.2 |
