ENA
Addis Ababa
USAID Assistant Administrator Michael E. Hess said USA is desirous of supporting the development activities being undertaken in pastoral areas of Ethiopia.
While conferring with Speaker of the HPR Ambassador Teshome Toga and representatives of Pastoral and Women Affairs Standing Committees with the House of Peoples’ Representatives here yesterday, Hess said the development activities being carried out in pastoral areas were encouraging.
Pointing out that USAID is supporting the development endeavours being run in pastoral areas, Hess said his organization has launched a 50 million USD project within the pastoral areas.
The project will last five years, he said, adding that health, education and infrastructural development activities are being undertaken through the projects during its two-year existence.
He said USAID in collaboration with the government and other partners would also work hard to find sustainable market for the products of pastoral areas.
Ambassador Teshome on his part told Hess that Ethiopia is committed to the development of pastoral areas, which he said, are relatively backward.
He also said the Ministry in charge of following up the issues concerning relatively backward states, which he said, shows how Ethiopia is committed to develop the states.
Teshome said pastoral and women’s affairs standing committees were also set up in the House of Peoples’ Representatives.
USAID) also announced yesterday that it will provide 17 million USD in food aid to Save the Children U.S and World Food Programme (WFP) for their emergency operations in the Somali State.
USAID will be providing a contribution of 8.3 million in non-food assistance to NGOs for targeted nutritional, water and sanitation progra- mmes in Ethiopia.
In a press conference he gave yesterday, Hess said that the assistance due to be provided by the USAID is in addition to more than 31 million USD already provided by the United States to Ethiopia since October, 2005.
Approximately 250,000 metric tonnes of commodities donated by the U.S are also being used to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations in Ethiopia this year, he said.
He said USAID has been closely working with the Ethiopian government and other partners with a view to addressing the crisis in long term, the Assistant Administrator said, adding that encouraging results have been registered from the activities carried out so far.
In addition to the food aid distribution to drought affected population, asset building programmes, irrigation schemes and other projects aimed at alleviating the problem are being efficiently executed, he added.
Source: ENA, April 21, 2006
