The governments of Ethiopia and Finland have recently signed an agreement for an 18.4 million EUR grant. The grant money is intended for us in improving public health and well-being, social development, and climate sustainability in the East African nation.
According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance Phase IV of the Community led Accelerated WaSH program (COWASH-IV) is the primary beneficiary of the grant. The program is a continuation of the immensely successful WaSH programs implemented in Ethiopia in the past.
The current program will be implemented across Ethiopia throughout the Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP), Tigray, and Sidama regional states. The program is going to focus on ensuring clean and functional water services to schools and health centers.
Ethiopian Ministry of Finance State Minister for External Economic Cooperation Yasmin Wohabrebbi and Finnish Ambassador to Ethiopia Outi Holopaine signed the agreement on November 20th during a virtual ceremony.
Ethiopia and Finland currently have strong economic ties that were bolstered in 2019 with the signing of four agreements which included a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and the Finnish Ministry for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade for increased cooperation in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors.
Dev Discourse, Fana Broadcasting Corporation, Helsinki Times, Relief Web