UK Pledges £105m for Land Mgmt, Industrialisation

Aug 1 , 2020


The government of the UK and Ethiopia have signed a grant agreement amounting to 105 million pounds to support land certification, improved rural land administration and industrialisation. Ahmed Shide, minister of Finance, and James Duddridge (MP), Minister for Africa of the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Development, signed the grant agreement on July 28, 2020. The grant will be used for the Land Investment for Transformation and the Accelerated Ethiopia Economics Transformation programmes. The programmes will be implemented in Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and Southern Nations, Nationalities & People's regional states. The UK has pledged 60 million pounds for phase two of the Land Investment for Transformation programme, which is aimed at transforming the land certification and market system in the regional states. It incorporates second-level land certification for seven million parcels of land and computerisation of 103 weredas' land administration systems where the second-level land certification occur. The second part of the grant, with 45 million euros, will go toward the Accelerated Ethiopia Economics Transformation programme, designed to support industrialisation. It is expected to create 40,000 new jobs and generate 25 million pounds of private investment in four fully operational industrial parks. The initiative is also expected to strengthen federal and regional institutions and the regulatory and policy environment within which businesses operate.


Radar

Union Urges Meeting with Premier Over Living Cost

Rising living costs that reduce the purchasing power of stagnant workers' wages prompted leaders of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) to urge a meeting with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD). Flanked by Minster of Justice Gedion Timotheos, Abiy met with senior members of the Union last year to discuss issues related to freedom of associations, collective bargaining and the imminent challenge of inflation to the workforce. However, Kasahun Follo, head of the Union, said reduced...


Radar

Customs Chief Accuses Critics of Bias, Vows to Address Steel Imports

Steel manufacturers' struggles and the impact of duty-free imports on domestic production have caught the attention of parliamentarians. During the Customs Commission's presentation of its nine-month performance, an MP directed a question to Commissioner Debele Kabeta, seeking clarification on the measures being taken by his institution to mitigate the influx of imports that are negatively affecting local manufacturers. While the source remains elusive, over 56 million Br worth of contrab...


Radar

Tech Tools Offer Digital Lifeline to Refugees

A digital platform that aims to connect skilled refugees and potential employers within the host communities was launched in a partnership between the UNHCR and Gebeya Inc. The project has onboarded 300 refugees into the system since its inception five months ago and hopes to reach 2,000 individuals across Gebeya's system soon. Ethiopia is currently the third largest refugee and asylum seeker hosting country in Africa, with close to one million individuals. The country also has an additional...


Back
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email