Around 3.5 million euros worth of technical support is promised by France to advance financial sector reform, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) policy reforms, capacity building, and public-private partnership (PPP) regulatory frameworks in Ethiopia. The assistance, to be implemented under the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), will focus on strengthening key reform initiatives within the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda (HGER) 2.0. This agreement, part of a larger 28.5 million euros committed by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), was signed by Eyob Tekalign (PhD), state minister for Finance, and Louis-Antoine Souchet, country director of AFD, last week. About 10 million euros of the planned 25 million euro budget support was disbursed in December 2024. Eyob acknowledged AFD’s sustained support and praised the adaptable nature of the technical assistance program, which accommodates various partners while ensuring efficient resource use. Souchet indicated that both budget support and technical assistance from AFD will continue in the coming years, with an expanded focus on tax, financial sector, and civil service reforms, as well as critical sectors like energy and logistics.

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