Europe to sign-in €13.7m grant for Ethiopia climate project next week

Source: New Net, 28 January 2011

European Commissioner for development Andris Piebalgs is expected to sign-in a €13.7m climate change project in Ethiopia on Monday, during a meeting with the African country’s government.

The European development representative is to meet with Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance and Economic Development Sufian Ahmed in Addis Ababa next week to commit funding to the project and discuss support for Ethiopia’s five-year national growth strategy.

He is also to deepen dialogue with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his Administration on potential routes towards reaching the country’s millennium development goals and associated economic policies.

Intended to raise stakeholder awareness on climate change, the climate change project is expected to identify and test climate change practices in watersheds along the Nile Basin.

The European Union selected Ethiopia, which is already the recipient of the largest share of European aid, as a priority under its Global Climate Change Alliance initiative.

‘Our signing of a €13.7m grant agreement will be an important step in helping Ethiopia to build a climate-resilient economy,’ said Piebalgs.

‘Ethiopia is at the forefront of climate change debates in international fora.’

Last year, the Ethiopian government adopted a five-year national strategy to ensure high annual growth rates and support health, education and access to water.