Targets economic growth
The United States Embassy in Addis Ababa is set to help kick start a three year initiative with Harvard University’s Center for International Development to help identify opportunities for an economic growth and help identify its challenges.
Michael Raynor, US Ambassador to Ethiopia and a champion of reforms initiated by the government of Abiy Ahmed (PhD), calling it, “Ambitious and essential economic reforms,” announced the new initiative that is expected to be ledby Ricardo Haussmann (PhD), who was recently in Ethiopia having an audience with high-level actors within Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance.
To be named as “Advancing Economic Diversification in Ethiopia,” the partnership is to be fully funded by USAID, one of Ethiopia’s visible partners in developmental aid.
“The US Embassy is pleased and proud to have been granted the opportunity to facilitate this partnership, which falls squarely within the context of our broader support for Ethiopia’s government, as well as our long-standing investments in the Ethiopian people,” the ambassador said adding, “The United States has invested over USD three billion in Ethiopia in the last three years alone. These investments have strengthened our partnership with the Ethiopian government and people to save lives, improve health and education, bolster food security and self-reliance, strengthen the energy and agriculture sectors, increase employment, and expand trade between our two nations,” the ambassador said.
Amidthe threat posed by the United States President Donald Trump looking down on international cooperation and promising to cut its funding and role significantly,since his election in 2016, a growing number of African corporate leaders continue to be denied visas to travel to the North American nation for bilateral trade and business conferences that target their continent.
According to the embassy, the United States government has spent over USD 100 million to support the recent Ethiopian reform agendas currently happening and win favors from western donors.
“The United States firmly believes that Ethiopia’s political and economic reforms offer the surest and quickest path to securing the prosperous, stable and politically inclusive future for all Ethiopians,” he added.
