Ethiopia among top beneficiaries of US aid – official

November 24, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia is among the African countries that receive a significant portion of the U.S. foreign aid, a U.S. official said here Saturday.

The annual assistance the US is providing to Ethiopia in various forms has reached 500 million U.S. dollars, said Henrietta Holsman Fore, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and director of U.S. Foreign Assistance.

Ethiopia is a country that is given an important place in U.S. foreign aid policy, she told journalists.

No security problem, that possibly interrupt the development and humanitarian activities of the agency, was witnessed, she said, adding that all activities of the agency are being conducted smoothly and as planned.

Fore said she has tried to assess the impact of the U.S. foreign aid in Ethiopia by conferring with various pertinent bodies during her two-day stay in Ethiopia.

She said she was satisfied with the development brought about by the U.S. foreign aid in Ethiopia.

In addition to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Fore met and held discussions with Simon Mechale, director general of the Federal Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency, on issues related with humanitarian assistance.

(Xinhua)