Addis Ababa, October 03/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia aiming at elevating its partnership to another level by hosting the Horn of Africa Heads of States Summit next year, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said today.

The 18th Meeting of Finance Minister of the Horn of Africa Initiative member states and partners is underway and is deliberating on the 2024-28 Roadmap for Accelerating Development in the Borderlands of the Horn of Africa.

The roadmap’s actions are sequenced as immediate (2024), short-term (2025), and medium-term (2026-28) actions.

Addressing the meeting, Finance Minister and Horn of Africa Initiative Chair Ahmed Shide said “as we look forward to implementing the borderland and private sector roadmaps, the need to take stock of the implementation progress of on-going projects is not lost to us”.

Ethiopia, as a chair, has prioritized on expediting the on boarding of additional partners as members and observers, he said.

“I can report effective work has been done to popularize the initiative and interest among partners to join Horn of Africa Initiative fraternity is on the rise. The presence of two valued partners (the UK and France) as observers today is a testament to th

Ethiopia to Host Horn of Africa Heads of States Summit Next Year

at progress.”

He noted Ethiopia will continue to give special attentions to the weakest link among us and work to address the persistent challenge preventing their full participation in the Horn of Africa Initiative.

“As part of our effort to elevate our partnership to another level, Ethiopia has proposed to host a Horn of Africa Heads of State Summit in 2024. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that his excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has wholeheartedly agreed to host the summit in Ethiopia in 2024,” he revealed.

EU Commissioner for International Partnership, Jutta Urpilainen said that the EU strongly supports the resilience of borderlands in the Horn of Africa.

She added that the borderlands would be the first to benefit if sufficiently connected through infrastructure.

Furthermore, the EU Commissioner pointed out that the EU looks forward to promoting regional economic integration in the Horn of Africa through the development of the Djibouti corridor.

The Djibouti Corridor is a strategic economic portal that gives Ethiopia access to the country’s ports. The upgrades on the corridors will strengthen the two countries’ positions in the global trade market via its seaports.

“We are also setting up 30 million Euros regional response program in Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan that target borderland displaced persons and host communities,” Urpilainen elaborated.

She also emphasized the need to further enhance service provision, improve connectivity, and facilitate cross-border trade in the borderlands.

IGAD Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu said that the roadmap represents an instrumental involvement of multilateralism; offering a common vision and strategy to expedite development in the borderlands.

“Development of these borderlands is not merely a matter of local concern. It is critical for both for their own peace and prosperity, stability and the advancement of the entire region and beyond,” he stressed.

Collaborating in the spirit of partnership and solidarity is pivotal in order to achieve the objectives of the roadmap, Workneh added.

The Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) is a country-led platform for coordinating regional integration and development in its seven member states-Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan- including investments, policy dialogue and policy ownership.

As of May 4, 2023, the African Development Bank (AfDB), EU, and World Bank had approved 54 projects worth 4.82 billion USD committing 18, 10 and 72 percent respectively.

Regional infrastructure connectivity 31 percent, trade and economic integration 8 percent, building resilience 49 percent, and strengthening human resilience 12 percent are among the existing investments.

Source:Ethiopian News Agency.