The Ministry of Finance secured a 4.8-million-dollar grant from Japan to be used to procure asphalt materials by the Ethiopian Roads Authority. Japan gave the grant as part of its embassy's Economic & Social Development Programme. The agreement, which took place last week on Tuesday at the office of the Ministry, was signed between Japanese Ambassador Ito Takako and State Minister for Finance Yasmin Wohabrebbi. The infrastructure sector is one of Japan's priorities in supporting Ethiopia's economic development, and the funds are expected to be used to rehabilitate the Ethio-Djibouti and Ethio-Sudan roads, two essential logistic corridors, according to the Ambassador. Recently launched road projects in the country include the Dicheoto-Galafi junction-Elidar-Belho concrete road and the Melodoni junction-Manda-Bure road project which links Ethiopia to the Port of Assab in Eritrea.