Ethiopia, GGGI strengthen partnership to promote inclusive green economic growth

Addis Ababa, December 5, 2023 (FBC) – Fitsum Assefa, Minister of Planning and Development (MoPD) of Ethiopia, and Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), held a bilateral meeting at COP 28 in the Ethiopian Green Legacy Pavilion in Dubai to discuss ways to strengthen their partnership to promote inclusive green economic growth in Ethiopia.

MoPD Minister Fitsum Assefa commended GGGI’s significant contributions to Ethiopia’s inclusive green economic growth journey since the two organizations first partnered in Durban, South Africa. She, in particular, praised GGGI’s embedded approach to building the institutional capacity of the Ethiopian government.

GGGI chief Dr. Frank Rijsberman, for his part, reaffirmed his institute’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with the Ethiopian government.

He expressed GGGI’s eagerness to strengthen the momentum of their collaboration and continue providing support for Ethiopia’s climate action efforts, including resource mobilization through diversified climate finance sources such as green bonds and blue bonds.

Dr. Rijsberman highlighted the launch of the Blue Bond framework at COP 28, which opens up new avenues for accessing climate finance. He also mentioned the launch of the Africa and Middle East SAFE Initiative (SAFE) at COP 28, a landmark initiative that aims to scale up agriculture and food systems for economic development in Africa and the Middle East.

It is indicated that Ethiopia expressed its support for the successful implementation of SAFE.

Both parties agreed on the importance of creativity and exploring opportunities for new investment avenues, including green technologies. According to the Ministry of Planning and Development (MoPD0, they pledged to continue working together to advance Ethiopia’s inclusive green economic growth agenda.

This bilateral meeting is said to be a demonstration of the strong partnership between Ethiopia and GGGI and their shared commitment to promoting sustainable development in Ethiopia.