Italy and Ethiopia sign an agreement on riverside development project in Addis Ababa
The Ambassador of Italy Arturo Luzzi and the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation of Ethiopia Admasu Nebebe signed an agreement on Riverside Development Project in Addis Ababa, worth 5 Million Euros, in the framework of the “Beautifying Sheger project” launched by the Ethiopian Government. Italy intends to contribute to the efforts of the Ethiopian Government aimed at promoting a fully sustainable development of the Country with a positive impact on mitigation of climate change and enhancement of local communities.
In related development the two also signed five bilateral agreements concerning technical and financial assistance for a total amount of 28.7 Million Euros.
The five implementing agreements are focused on the agro-industrial development, on strengthening the health system with special attention given to gender and nutrition component, on urban natural resources management, on education and job creation.
ATA signs agreement to finance construction of 10 agricultural mechanization service centers
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has signed subgrant agreements worth Birr 91 Million with eight cooperative unions and two entrepreneurs for the construction of 10 standardized Mechanization Service Centers (MSC) across Ethiopia.
Each of the MSC owners will receive Birr 9.1 million as a subgrant to cover 70% of the construction cost. The subgrantees will cover the remaining 30% with their own matching contribution. The design of the service centers has also been completed by the ATA and will be handed over to the center owners during the signing ceremony.
During the signing ceremony, ATA CEO Khalid Bomba underscored the importance of mechanization in enhancing productivity and harvest quality, and thereby improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. “Mechanization has the potential to improve yields, and reduce post-harvest losses, catalyzing exponential growth in productivity and income,” he said.
Ethiopian agriculture is predominantly rain-fed and seasonal, with a narrow window to conduct all agricultural operations from land preparation to harvesting, threshing and storage before the next rains. This is aggravated by changes in climate, where out-of-season rain spoils crops before, during and post-harvest as farmers struggle to beat the odds using human or animal labour. This is further exacerbated by the fact that there is less and less farm labour as youth migrate to urban areas for education or seeking employment, leaving young and the elderly to tend farms. When implemented correctly and in alignment with appropriate use of inputs through agricultural commercialization clusters, mechanization will not only address this challenge but will help smallholders thrive as they produce and sell at commercial level.
