ADDIS ABABA – A grant agreement amounting to 15.96 million Euro (equivalent 645.26 million ETB) was signed on 23rd July 2020, between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the Government of the Netherlands to finance Kunzila Integrated Landscape Management and WASH (ILMWA) project. The signing ceremony was held via a virtual ceremony held to ensure the World Health Organization recommended physical distancing due to the current global novel coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19).
According to the grant agreement, strengthening community-based watershed management, improving agricultural productivity and livelihoods, enhancing the capacity of community-based organizations, managing natural resources in a sustainable way, and implementing rural and urban water supply and sanitation activities are the main components of the project to be financed by the grant. The Kunzila ILMWA project will be implemented by the consortium comprises of the Water and Land Resource Center (WLRC) of Addis Ababa University and SNV Netherlands Development Organization, in Amhara National Regional State.
The overall goal of the Kunzila ILMWA project is to provide financial and technical supports to contribute to a more prosperous and healthy population in Amhara National Regional State. More specifically, improving agricultural productivity for 22,000 people, creating sustainable employment for at least 750 youth, provision of access to clean water for 22,058 rural and 9,529 urban people, and strengthening the capacities of community-based organizations are the main outcomes of the project.
Mr. Ahmed Shide, Minister, FDRE Ministry of Finance and Mr. Thijs Woudstra, Charge d’affaires ad interim, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ethiopia, signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ethiopia and the Government of the Netherlands, respectively.
In related news, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ethiopia announced, on its Official Facebook Page, that the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs will donate an additional 13 million Euro to the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) in Ethiopia as part of COVID-19 response and part of the “Team Europe” – a European Union’s global solidarity in fighting COVID-19 by assisting the most vulnerable in developing countries and conflict zones.