Ethiopia has concluded a grant agreement worth Euro 1.1 million with COMESA on Thursday, May 4, 2015 to finance its regional integration programmes, COMESA reported.

The agreement was concluded between Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance and Economic Development and Sindiso Ngwenya, Secretary General of COMESA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The funds were obtained from a contribution agreement between the European Union and COMESA and will be distributed through the Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM) COMESA Adjustment Facility (CAF).

The funds are meant for capacity building and institutional development of coordinating and implementing bodies of regional integration programmes, raising awareness for the private sectors on the Free Trade Area and training on the Rules of Origin.

Moreover, the money will also be used for the creation of information center for the private sector and to equip both Ethiopian and Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce with technical capacity on how to provide trade information to their member organizations and individual business persons.

Ambassador Francisco Carreras, Head of European Union Delegation of the Federal Democratic to Ethiopia was at the ceremony.

Source: www.comesa.int