World Bank Funds 100mln USD for Refugees Project in Ethiopia

Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa (ENA)–A new World Bank-funded project promises improved living conditions for refugees camped across five regional states in Ethiopia.

The Bank offered 100 million USD to implement “Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) In the Horn of Africa.”

Refugees sheltered in Afar, Tigray, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz and Somali states, the five regional states hosting the refugees, and the host community will benefit from a range of development activities implemented by the funding.

The projects are believed to increase the benefit of the community from socio-economic as well as infrastructural facilities, according to Dr. Misrak Mekonnen, State Minister of Livestock and Fisheries.

Speaking during project launching event in the town of Semera in Afar, the state minister mentioned setbacks that emerge from lack of infrastructure in many of the host states and the impact of increasing refugee population on the local community.

The effective implementation of the projects will raise the benefit enjoyed by locals, for which she advised stakeholders to work in close cooperation.

It was indicated that Ethiopia is home to more than 733 thousand refugees originated from Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

Project Coordinator Abdu Suleiman for his part indicated that the implementation of the project will help expand social service providing centers, with plans to raise income of the community and promote environmental conservation activities.

The implementation of “DRDIP in the Horn of Africa” will begin in 2017.

More than one million people will benefit from the project which will run for five years.

Source: ENA
——
Other stories: