Ethiopia to Launch Urban Dev't Program that Benefits More Than 6 Million People

Addis Ababa June 04/2018 Ethiopia will start urban institutional and infrastructural development program that benefits 6.6 million people next Ethiopian year. The five-year Urban Institutional and Infrastructure Development Program (UIIDP) that will be implemented in 117 cities costs close to 860 million USD, Urban Development and Housing Ministry revealed today. In a half-day workshop organized to introduce the program, Urban Revenue Enhancement, Fund Mobilization and Finance Bureau Head at the ministry, Amlaku Adamu said the program will start three months from now in selected cities. The Bureau Head said prioritizing local economic development, including job creation, ensuring gender equality and the benefit of youth as well as building climate resilience cities are among the objectives of the program. City and town councils have the responsibility to collaborate with the ministry in strengthening the monitoring and evaluating mechanisms for the realization of the program, Amlaku stressed. The regional and woreda leaderships have also to prioritize the program by learning from the best experiences of the previous programs, he pointed out. Among the previous programs are Urban Local Government Development Projects I and II. Urban Local Government Development Project I started in 19 cities, including in Addis Ababa, in 2009 with 300 million USD. Improved public participation in developmental activities, financial management, job creation, asset management, and infrastructural development were stated among the achievements gained from the project. Urban Local Government Development Project II began in 44 cities with additional 26 cities to the previous 18 cities, except Addis Ababa which was treated in a special context in 2015.  The program cost 556.5 million USD.