Addis ababa: Ethiopia’s Finance Minister Ahmed Shide held discussions with the World Bank Executive Director for Africa Group 1 Constituency, Zarau Kibwe, who arrived for a three-day official visit in Ethiopia. Kibwe represents Ethiopia and a group of 21 other African countries in the World Bank Board.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Minister Ahmed briefed the Executive Director on the successful implementation of the macroeconomic reform and strong portfolio performance. They discussed ways to deepen cooperation between Ethiopia and the World Bank. During the meeting, Minister Ahmed Shide commended the World Bank’s role in supporting Ethiopia’s development priorities, with a portfolio exceeding 16 billion USD across key sectors, including the recent USD 1 billion support for Development Policy Operations II.
The Minister emphasized the importance of continued support from IDA21 allocations to sustain macroeconomic reform and to finance key priority areas, including infrastructure, agricultural productivity, and climate resilience initiatives to further advance the country’s development agenda. The Executive Director congratulated the Government of Ethiopia on concluding the MoU under the G20 Common Framework, praised the macroeconomic reform implementation, and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the country’s development priorities.
During his visit, Kibwe will also meet with different government officials and stakeholders to discuss collaborative efforts between Ethiopia and the World Bank.