Today, 05th March, the Ambassador of Italy H.E. Arturo Luzzi and the Deputy Minister of Finance of Ethiopia H.E. Admasu Nebebe signed at the Ministry of Finance in Addis Ababa five bilateral agreements concerning technical and financial assistance for a total amount of 28.7 Million Euros. The signing ceremony has also been attended by Mr. Tiberio Chiari, Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) - Addis Ababa Office.
“As you all know, Ethiopia is undergoing an unprecedented political, social, and economic reforms, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed. The past two years have seen all rounded transformational changes in the country. The reform efforts have been multi-faceted, broad, and ambitious. On this reform, the Government of Italy has been an invaluable partner”, stated the Deputy Minister of Finance of Ethiopia H.E. Admasu Nebebe.
“In this period of financial constraints and of many other problems that we have to face in Europe, and in Italy, it means that our friendship and our partnership is very strong. This partnership is very strong because we have an intensive political dialogue. Our Prime Minister has been the first Western leader to come to Ethiopia in 2018”, stated then the Ambassador of Italy H.E. Arturo Luzzi, underlying the mutual friendship that unites Italy and Ethiopia.
“We see how the process has just started, but we can say that there are very positive relationships among the Italian system – of enterprises, institutions, and people – with the Ethiopian system – enterprises, institutions, authorities, etc. I think it is one of the main achievements to establish strict relationships and to proceed to a common path for the future, in the major effort to reach effectiveness, efficacy, and on-time results for the benefit of the whole country”, concluded Mr. Tiberio Chiari, Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) - Addis Ababa Office.
The five implementing agreements are focused on the agro-industrial development, on strengthening the health system with special attention given to gender and nutrition component, on urban natural resources management, on education and job creation:
- Improvement on skill development and job creation under TVET program in Ethiopia – 10 Million and 5 Hundred Thousand Euro;
- Italian contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals Performance Fund (SDG PF) – 10 Million Euro;
- River side development project in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia – 5 Million Euro;
- Intervention to reduce geographical inequities in 4 Developing Regions in gender and nutrition components – 2 Million and 2 Hundred Thousand Euro;
- Improved rural livelihoods through support to Moringa Value Chain development in SNNPR, Ethiopia – 1 Million Euro.
The above interventions fall within the Ethio-Italian Cooperation Country Framework 2017-19 whose portfolio is of 125 Million Euro. The above-mentioned Country Framework is aimed at contributing to the integrated, inclusive and sustainable development and follows the guiding Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation Principles of strengthening the Country ownership and reinforcing mutual accountability as well as promoting a win-win partnership.
The Office of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency in Addis Ababa and the Ministry of Finance of Ethiopia are negotiating a new Cooperation Country Framework for the period 2020-22 with an increased budget up to 140 Million Euro, witnessing the priority that Italy continues to attach to the partnership with Ethiopia.
PRESS REVIEW
Ethiopian TV (From min 0:00)
See also:
Embassy of Italy in Ethiopia: News and Facebook post
Ministry of Finance: News, Tweet and Facebook post
