World Bank to give Ethiopia 200 million dollars loan, grant

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 24 (AFP) — The World Bank is to give Ethiopia a total of 200 mln usd in loans and grant, following an agreement signed in Addis Ababa today, a World Bank statement said.

Under the agreement, a loan of 100 mln usd will finance implementation of a Public Sector Capacity Building Programme (PSCAP), which will include the civil service, tax and justice reforms; district level decentralization, urban management and information and communications technology sub-programmes.

Another 75 mln usd loan and a grant of 25 mln usd will finance a water supply and sanitation project to increase access to sustainable water and sanitation services for rural and urban users, the statement said.

“The loan and grant will mainly be used to strengthen capacity building programmes the government is undertaking,” the statement said, quoting World Bank country director to Ethiopia, Ishac Diwan, after signing the agreement with Finance and Economic Development Minister Sufian Ahmed.

“The World Bank, as a strong development partner of Ethiopia, will not only provide financial support, but also expertise and technical aid,” Diwan said.

According to the statement, 5,500 water supply schemes under the water and sanitation project will benefit nearly 3 mln people in 3,500 communities and 50 towns