USAID Ethiopia Presents New Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2011-2015
For Immediate Release
Today, officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) signed agreements on cooperation for economic and social development between the U.S. and Ethiopian Governments. The mutually agreed upon goals for programs in education, health, agriculture, and good governance closely complement Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Strategy. The USAID strategy also addresses cross-cutting issues in all its programs covering the status of girls and women, the inclusion of the disabled, water, nutrition, conflict mitigation, and social accountability.
The new development assistance agreements for 2011-2012 were signed by State Minister Ahmed Shide and USAID Mission Director Thomas Staal and witnessed by U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth. They mark the first year of operation of a new USAID Ethiopia Country Development Cooperation Strategy for 2011-2015 called “Accelerating the Transformation Toward Prosperity." The new USAID strategy was developed to complement and promote the goals of Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Strategy. In 2011-2012, the first year of the new five year strategy, USAID assistance to Ethiopia is US $675 million.
Through the 2011-2012 assistance grants, USAID programs will help:
Improve access to quality maternal, child and reproductive health care; improve water, sanitation and nutrition; control malaria and tuberculosis; and contribute to larger U.S. Government efforts to combat HIV/AIDS with funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Promote sustainable economic growth and food security with a focus on developing agriculture and livestock productivity, trade and enterprise development, conservation of natural resources, and mitigating the effects of climate change. USAID will also continue its support to Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program and respond to emergencies and disasters with relief assistance.
Improve the quality of primary education, with special emphasis on improving reading, teaching and English language skills, especially for girls.
Strengthen good governance practices for improved social accountability and conflict mitigation in programs in every sector.
U.S. Government assistance for development in Ethiopia also involves other agencies, including the Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control. The Peace Corps also contributes volunteers who work on teacher training and English teaching, as well as health and the environment.
At the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth said that US assistance to Ethiopia for development is “working to enable people in every region of Ethiopia to live and work with dignity, and through their own efforts, to achieve the prosperity they desire”.
USAID Mission Director Thomas Staal, who will depart Ethiopia this summer after three years, said: “Having overseen the development of this strategy and close consultations with our key partners in the Government, other international donors, and the private sector, I am very pleased to see this strategy go into action. I am confident that working all together we will help transform the lives and livelihoods of Ethiopian families and communities through improved health care services, better schooling, greater food security and economic opportunities, and by promoting good governance and public accountability practices across all these programs.”
See Also
Remarks by USAID Ethiopia Mission Director Thomas Staal
Statement by U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth
Related Resources
USAID Ethiopia: Agriculture and Food Security
USAID Ethiopia: Feed the Future
USAID Ethiopia: Private Sector
USAID Ethiopia: Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance
USAID Ethiopia: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
USAID Ethiopia: Global Health Initiative
USAID Ethiopia: Family Planning
USAID Ethiopia: President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
USAID Ethiopia: Health Systems
USAID Ethiopia: President’s Malaria Initiative
USAID Ethiopia: Maternal and Child Health
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