Public Relations and Information Department Head with the Ministry, Getachew Admassu told Ethiopian News Agency that 15.9 billion Birr of the stated sum was secured in aid while the balance in loan.

Getachew said 20.2 billion Birr loan and aid was obtained from multilateral institutions while the remaining 3.0 billion Birr was secured from development partner governments.

Britain, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, China, the Netherlands, the USA and Finland were among the development partners who extended aid to Ethiopia during the reported period.

Getachew said 80 per cent of the aid came from Britain, Sweden, Canada and France while Saudi Arabia and Italy were among the development partner governments who granted loan to the country.

The World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF, Africa Development Fund (ADF), UNDP, UNFPA were among multilateral institutions, which provided aid and loan to Ethiopia during the reported period.

He said most of the external resource would be used for the implementation of programs in the agriculture, electric power service, health, educational, road construction, clean water provision, food security and disaster prevention, capacity building and the expansion of telecom service, among others.

Getachew said 11.4 billion Birr obtained in loan and aid agreement signed with development partners was disbursed during the reported budget year.

Major countries and development partners, which disbursed the budget include, among others, Britain, Canada, Italy, USA, the International Development Association (IDA), the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Development Fund (ADF).

The disbursed external resource was used to construct roads, educational, health and potable water projects.

Getachew also said Ethiopia has become beneficiary of HIPC Initiative that enabled it enjoy debt relief amounting to 1.15 billion Birr during the reported period.

The country has also benefited from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) approved by G8 countries.

Some 658.5 million Birr debt was cancelled through MDRI. A total of 1.8 billion Birr debt was cancelled for the country during the budget year.

The Ministry has been contributing its share in the efforts being carried out to enable the country be registered under the list of countries, which have medium income, he said.

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