Hawassa: Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance and the African Development Bank (AfDB) jointly conducted a Fiduciary Clinic Training workshop for Bank-financed projects, held in Hawassa. The event was attended by key stakeholders, including regional and federal government officials, Project Implementation Unit (PIU) Coordinators, Procurement Specialists, Financial Management staff, and representatives from Executing Agencies and African Development Bank staffs.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, the training is designed to equip and familiarize government staff handling AfDB-financed projects/programs on Bank procedures and regulations. The training will also help the capacity-building efforts aimed at overcoming major obstacles in project implementation, thereby ensuring smooth execution, enhanced disbursement, improving implementation ratings, and reaching end beneficiaries.

Training participants engaged in a series of presentations and discussions led by Bank specialists on topics covered are country portf
olio, disbursement and financial management, procurement management, environment and safeguards. The sessions provided insightful discussions on contract management and administration, challenges in procurement planning and execution, disbursement methods, and audit requirements for projects.

As of today, the African Development Bank supports approximately 24 active projects within the country, with a total investment of 1.21 billion USD. The Bank’s portfolio is predominantly focused on the Energy Sector (30 percent), followed by the Private Sector (20 percent), Agriculture (16 percent), and Transport Sector (15 percent).