The French government pledged a 100-million-euro loan and grant as support to the ongoing economic reform in Ethiopia. The agreement was signed between Ahmed Shide, minister of Finance, and Frederic Bontems, ambassador of France to Ethiopia. The majority of this financing, 85 million euros, is provided through a public policy concessional loan and 15 million euros is provided as a grant for the global technical assistance programme. The public policy loan will aim to support Ethiopia in the implementation of economic reforms by focusing on maximising finance for development, improving the business environment and improving the management, transparency and accountability of public enterprises, according to a statement from the French Embassy in Ethiopia. The government will directly implement a part of this technical assistance programme.
