WB, Ethiopia Sign 300 Million USD Financing Agreement to Assist Conflict-Affected Areas

May 16/2022 /ENA/  A financing agreement amounting to 300 million USD was signed today in the form of a grant between the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank (WB) in support of the reconstruction and recovery of conflict-affected areas of the country.

Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide and World Bank Director for Ethiopia Ousmane Dione signed the financing agreement that will be implemented in selected woredas of Amhara, Afar, Tigray, Oromia, and Benishangul regions.

During the signing event, Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide said the government is committed to implement the project in order to address the conflict-affected communities.

“The project is going to be the first of its kind, as it involves two UN Agencies as third-party implementers in Tigray. The application of this new modality of using third-party implementer shows the government’s commitment to the safety and well-being of the people of Tigray,” the minister pointed out.

In high conflict areas, the project will be implemented by a selected third-party institution on behalf of the Government based on an agreement that the Government will enter, it was indicated.  

According to the ministry, the resource will be used to finance the activities designed to support communities in conflict-affected areas to re-access basic Services of education, health, water supply, and special support to survivors of gender-based violence within the areas affected by conflict.  

The proceeds will finance activities of Rebuilding and Improving Access to Basic Services and Community Infrastructure and support the strengthening of short- and medium-term Gender-Based Violence Response Services for the survivors in the targeted regions, it was learned.