State Minister for Finance confers with officials of NORAD and SIDA

Addis Ababa, January 22, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopia’s State Minister for Finance Semereta Sewasew consulted with NORAD Director General Bård Vegard Solhjell and SIDA Director General Jakob Granit

Ethiopia and Norway, with a diplomatic relationship dating back to 1947, share common interests including peace, security, climate change, migration management, sustainable development, gender equality, education, and private sector promotion, it was stated during the discussion.

The core funding from Norway exceeds 100 million USD annually both bilaterally and multilaterally.

The Ethiopian side expressed its commitment to combat climate change and appreciated the support of the people and government of Norway in nation’s endeavors for realizing low carbon emission and climate resilient economic development.

Ethiopia and Sweden, celebrating 70 years of diplomatic partnership, have been collaborating on human rights, democracy, environment, economic development, and civil societies. Sida’s support to Ethiopia during 2022/23 reached 72 million USD both for development and humanitarian needs.

The state minister warmly welcomed both delegates and highlighted the ongoing economic reform, humanitarian and peace development efforts, expressing gratitude for the countries’ support. The importance of synergies to address complex challenges and the potential for Ethiopia as a model for the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus were emphasized during the meeting.

Both officials announced the future directions of their governments and stressed Ethiopia’s strategic importance, and historical ties but also expressed their concern about the global geo-political challenges which they said make cooperation efforts difficult.

They also stressed the importance of creating an enabling environment for the private sector in the development of the country affirmed their support in this regard.

Ambassador Stian Christensen and Ambassador Hans Lundquist of Norway and Sweden, along with officials from NORAD, SIDA, and embassies, were also present.