Ethiopia, Germany partnership growing steadily: Amb. Auer

Addis Ababa, June 17, 2023 (FBC) –

The partnership between Germany and Ethiopia has been growing steadily since the beginning of the relationship of the two countries, said Ambassador Stephan Auer in an interview with local media, ENA.

The German Ambassador to Ethiopia said efforts have been exerted to further strengthen the partnership in political, social and economic sectors.

He pointed out that Germany’s development cooperation in capacity building, agricultural productivity, social development and good governance has been growing.

According to the ambassador, Germany has for example provided capacity building, especially through the International Development Cooperation Agency, capacity building for thousands of citizens who play crucial role in the development of industry.

On the other hand, he stated that professional support has been provided for the Human Rights Commission and the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, and to also boost agricultural  productivity, are being provided.

Moreover, humanitarian aid and rehabilitation activities are undertaken to support vulnerable citizens through people-centered projects, Ambassador Auer stated.

For example, through programs “like Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), we have donated 16 million Euros. We also doubled our humanitarian assistance to 82.5 million USD. So, we are the second biggest humanitarian donor. We are also contributing to the Response Resilience Recovery Program of the World Bank by contributing additional 30 million USD. Also, when we come to the transitional development programs, we are also trying to address drought and inflation crises by supporting the WFP and UNICEF with 30-35 million USD, respectively,” he elaborated.

Ambassador Auer furthermore noted that there are favorable conditions for strengthening the trade and investment relationship between Germany and Ethiopia, and the two sides are working to make this a reality.

Germany has the desire for the continuity of the peace agreement in Ethiopia, particularly in the northern part of the country. For this to succeed, Germany has been providing the necessary support, he said.

The ambassador, who pointed out that the Ethiopian government’s effort to ensure transitional justice is encouraging, stated that Germany will provided support to make the process successful.

It is noted that Ethiopia and Germany started their relationship in 1905.