18 December 2018, Addis Ababa – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will enhance its support around democratic governance and inclusive growth in Ethiopia to meet the country’s accelerated reform agenda and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The commitment follows a 2 day official visit to Ethiopia by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, accompanied by UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Director Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, where he met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, key government Ministers and officials, women leaders, and development partners on opportunities for scaling up UNDP’s support to Ethiopia.  

UNDP launched a comprehensive governance programme in 2017 that brought together Norway, Sweden, Austria, and Denmark to enhance the capacity of key national democratic institutions to deliver on their mandate. Going forward, UNDP will be working with partners to support the National Electoral Board so that it can ensure that Ethiopia holds a credible national election in 2020.

During his trip, discussions with partners focused on the development of an infrastructure for peace, as well as the role that Ethiopia continues to play in the stabilisation efforts in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia’s industrialization strategy has emphasized investment in industrial parks to expand job opportunities and attract foreign direct investment. Mr. Steiner visited the Bole Lemi Industrial Park where he spoke with representatives of the business community about opportunities there.

UNDP launched its 2018 National Human Development Report for Ethiopia this month under the theme Industrialisation with a Human Face.  The report carries strong recommendations to place human development and protection of the environment at the centre of its industrialization agenda. The report also noted the need for Ethiopia to realize inclusive benefits by creating decent jobs for all and expand opportunities for the empowerment of women.

Mr. Steiner also had the opportunity to interact with innovation hubs and local entrepreneurs. UNDP’s flagship entrepreneurship development programme, a central part of the support for inclusive growth in Ethiopia was officially launched by former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in 2013. Since then, the programme has facilitated the training of over 70,000 aspiring entrepreneurs across the country and also helped informal business transition to the formal sector.

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Addis Ababa: Martha Mogus, Communications Specialist, UNDP Ethiopia
In New York: Lamine Bal, Regional Bureau for Africa,