Ethiopia and Germany Bolster Economic and Development Ties

Addis ababa: Ethiopia and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen their development partnership, focusing on Ethiopia's Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda 2.0, during recent bilateral consultations.According to Ethiopian News Agency, the discussions featured key interventions from both Ethiopian and German officials. Ethiopia's Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide, emphasized the importance of international support in achieving Ethiopia's economic reform goals. He stressed Ethiopia's dedication to the reforms and highlighted the need for support from international partners like Germany to bolster its efforts in this significant transformation.Ambassador Jens Hanefeld of Germany underscored the historical significance of the relationship between the two countries and pledged Germany's support to further enhance these bilateral ties. He expressed optimism that the consultations would foster a clearer understanding of ongoing efforts and encourage future collaboration.Marcus von Essen, Head of Div ision for East Africa at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, also expressed his willingness to explore additional areas of cooperation between the two nations. Ethiopia's State Minister of Finance, Semereta Sewasew, expressed her gratitude towards Germany for its unwavering support, noting, "Your commitment to our partnership has been invaluable and speaks to our shared vision for a prosperous future."In a significant development, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany announced its intention to provide a total of 56.5 million Euros in financial and technical assistance. This funding will support various initiatives including the Productive Safety Net Program, promotion of Ethiopian small and medium enterprises, education programs, land governance, and rural value chains in the coming years.