France on Tuesday announced decision to provide €40 million for Ethiopia to help the horn African nation launch digital resident ID project.
“France agreed to advance its cooperation with Ethiopia in energy, logistics and telecommunications sectors and decided to provide an additional €40 million to finance the digital ID project Ethiopia will be launching soon” said Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Finance Minister after conferring with French Economic and Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, in Addis Ababa.
Acknowledging the comprehensive support the European country is giving to Ethiopia, Ahmed added that “France is one of our major development partners, and we also have a similar strategic interest in the region and in global affairs.”
The excellent relations between the two countries are at a historic peak, resulting in France supporting Ethiopia`s comprehensive reform agenda directly and indirectly, the minster added.
“We have been exerting maximum effort in mobilizing domestic resource, but a friendly country like France is supporting us significantly because we need external support to meet the huge costs incurred in implementing the reform programs,” he elaborated.
France is also assisting Ethiopia through international institutions like the World Bank and other international financial development organizations.
French Economic and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said based on the pledge President Macron made last March, France will reinforce its economic relations with Ethiopia.
MG/as/APA