Addis Ababa, February 29, 2020 (FBC) –The Council of Ministers in its 80th regular session held today passed decisions after deliberations on various agendas.
Among the issues discussed include the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
As far as GERD is concerned, the Council said the Ethiopian Government will not engage in any negotiation that harms the country’s national interest.
On COVID-19, the Council decided to set up a national ministerial committee to monitor and prevent the spread of the outbreak from other countries into Ethiopia.
Members of the committee are Muferihat Kamil, Minister of Peace, Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance, Gedu Andargachew, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Dr Lia Tadesse, State Minister of Health.
The Council also discussed on the draft bill to approve a 65.33 million SDR loan agreement signed with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for lowlands livelihood improvement project.
After deliberation, it referred the bill to the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) for endorsement.
The Council also decided the langue development and use policy drafted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the pastoralist development policy prepared by the Ministry of Peace to enter into force.