Ethiopian and Japanese governments inked a 3.5 million US Dollars grant agreement to finance a food assistance program.
Finance Minister Ahmed Shide and Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ito Takako, signed the grant agreement and exchanged notes for the ‘food assistance program’ this week.
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“Through this grant aid, around 2,250 tons of Japanese rice will be provided to Ethiopia,” announced the embassy of Japan in Addis Ababa said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The grant, worth approximately 180 million birr, will support the East African nation combat food insecurity brought on by various factors including droughts and conflict, according to the embassy said.
It will also help Ethiopia reduce imports and contribute to saving foreign currency as a lot of rice consumption in Ethiopia has relied on imports recently, it said.
Tokyo has also been supporting rice production in Ethiopia since 2015, in addition to its contributions to other development schemes, particularly in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, industry, education, and health.
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“Japan will continue to support Ethiopia’s development efforts through various Japanese Assistance Projects and other assistance modalities,” its embassy added.
