May 31 , 2026
Ethiopia urged a significant scale-up in strategic financing for Africa’s rural transformation at the IFAD14 meeting in Brazzaville, Congo on May 27. State Minister for Finance Semereta Sewasew framed rural development as a strategic economic investment, rather than social expenditure, to mitigate climate shocks and rising borrowing costs. Ethiopia currently manages a 900-million-dollar IFAD portfolio, supporting the Lowlands Livelihood Resilience Project II and the Rural Financial Intermediation Programme III. A planned credit guarantee facility aims to leverage private capital for rural growth. These initiatives seek to anchor continental food security and macroeconomic stability through intensified agrifood systems.