JAPAN EXTENDS 550 MILLION JAPANESE YEN [109 MILLION BIRR] GRANT AID TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ETHIOPIA

A grant signing ceremony between the Governments of Japan and Ethiopia took place on 23 November 2010 at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. H.E Mr. Hiroyuki KISHINO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ethiopia and H.E. Ato Ahmed Shide, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, signed the grant agreement for food assistance, amounting to 550 million Japanese Yen* [109 million Ethiopian birr] to Ethiopia, to procure wheat for areas of food shortage. This Programme will be implemented by the Japan International Cooperation System [JICS].

Since 1983, Japan has provided grant-in-aid for structural food assistance [KR I], amounting to 9.6 billion Japanese Yen in total [about 1.9 billion Ethiopian birr in current value], to help Ethiopia alleviate food shortages.

H.E. Hiroyuki KISHINO reminded that agriculture has been a major sector in Ethiopia and that it is identified as a major source of economic growth. He expressed his strong desire that the food security challenge of the country would be met in a satisfactory manner in the next five years with the total agricultural production doubled as GTP aspects.

Agriculture has been given priority by the Japanese Government in its ODA to Ethiopia. Today’s food assistance is aimed at curbing food deficit problems in the country. At the same time, assistance for agricultural development such as irrigation, seeding and so on will become all the more important in the coming years to help Ethiopia increase agricultural productivity.

* Exchange rate as of 22 November 2010: 0.198 Ethiopian Birr ~1 Japanese Yen