Public Consultation Held on the 10-Year Perspective Dev’t Plan

Addis Ababa June 29/2020 (ENA) ) Planning and Development Commission today conducted consultation with the public on the 10-year perspective development plan document. 

The draft plan is aimed at reaching the annual national economic growth of the country to more than 10 percent for the coming years.

Planning and Development Commissioner, Fitsum Assefa said the consecutive participatory public consultation from the outset of the plan’s drafting is to ensure it is in the best interest of every Ethiopian.

Short and medium-term plans will be set, she said, adding that the 10-year plan is pivotal in bringing about remarkable change in inflation, poverty reduction and most of all ascertaining the country’s prosperity.

The plan envisages lifting the annual per capital to 8.2 percent and lower poverty from 19 to 7 percent.

Prioritizing on agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and mining, the perspective plan will be able to create 1.3 new jobs annually and securing 100 percent energy and clean water needs, it was indicated.

Participant of the consultation, Fantu Farris from the International Finance Corporation said the plan, by assessing the realities on the ground and giving equitable value to sectors, considers the economy as ecosystem.

This, she pointed out will maintain the interdisciplinary value of the sectors and contribution to the entire economic growth.

“However, it needs to utilize the existing private sector and entrepreneurs while bringing about new and capable ones in order to enhance their involvement and contribution in realizing the targeted goals,” Fantu stated.

Private firms gain only less than 20 percent loan from financial institutions, she mentioned, and stressed “this has to be improved as technology and finance are imperatively determinant in boosting the involvement of capable private sector in the economy.”