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Ethiopia
on track for WB US 100 mln loan
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 ADDIS
ABEBA(March 18,2008) - Ethiopia
is in a position to receive a loan to the amount of 100 million USD
from the World Bank for its infrastructural developments projects
in major cities of the country, the Ministry of Works and Urban Development
said on Monday.
The ministry said the World Bank was now appraising the proposals
by the Ethiopian government and a formal agreement for the provision
of the loans for what is to be called Urban Local Government Development
Project will be signed in a few weeks time.
The loan will be utilized for road construction, land development,
water, and waste drainage and for other similar activities in 19 cities
of six regions, namely, Dire Dawa, Oromia, Amhara, Harari, Southern
Nations and Nationalities and Tigray regional States including the
Capital Addis Ababa.
According to Dr. Abraham right now they are in appraisal, the next
step will be negotiation and after some weeks the agreement will be
signed legally.
The Ethiopian government and World Bank are on the way to sign the
Urban Local Government Development Project.
Speaking at a press conference held at the ministry of works and Urban
Development yesterday, Dr. Abraham Tekeste, Head, Policy Research
and Planning Bureau, explained that certain procedures should have
been followed as required by the World Bank, of which, he said the
first was to disclose the process to the public.
Another requirement in the procedure was for the government to prepare
proposals of projects and make them public, too, Dr Abraham elaborated.
He said five proposals have been prepared, among which are the Environmental
and Social Management Framework and the Resettlement Policy Framework
"It will be helpful to minimize the negative consequences regarding
environmental and social aspects that occur on the process,"
he observed..
He also added the main aim of these projects was reducing the risk
from harmful effects of the environment or else preparing for the
compensation.
This calls for every city to take that in to consideration and do
all the necessary to prepare for the implementation before the loan
was released.
The loan will be effective as of September 2008, it was learnt. |
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