The government of Ethiopia Tuesday announced the launch of a new initiative dubbed “Ethio-Aid”, aiming to substitute the assistance being withheld by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The announcement comes in the context of reduced international aid, particularly following the suspension of assistance from the Trump White House.
It is a national disaster response mechanism intended to soften the blow caused by the aid cut and address emergencies using domestically mobilised resources.
The Ethio-Aid program was presented during a parliamentary session on a new draft proclamation concerning disaster risk management. According to the draft, 3 percent of the national budget will be allocated annually to a dedicated disaster response fund.
Based on the current budget of 1.5 trillion birr, this equates to approximately 45 billion birr per year.
All residents—including individual citizens, public and private employees, institutions, and organisations—will be expected to contribute, voluntarily or mandated. The draft proclamation specifies that both governmental and non-governmental entities will be part of this national contribution effort.
The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission recently told legislators that the goal of Ethio-Aid is to enhance the country’s capacity to respond to natural disasters, conflict-related emergencies, and other crises.
In addition to addressing domestic needs, the initiative is also intended to support neighbouring countries during times of hardship.
In light of these developments, Ethio-Aid is positioned as a long-term strategy to strengthen self-reliance in emergency response. Officials from the Disaster Risk Management Commission indicated that the funds collected will be used to build a permanent, well-resourced disaster response institution.
MG/as/APA