Ethiopian Review

Adama – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) said the government is undertaking various development activities across the country so as to eradicate poverty and meet the millennium development goals (MDGs).

Opening a pastoral risk management consultation and planning workshop here yesterday, disaster prevention and food security sector State Minister with MoARD, Mitiku Kassa said the government is executing an integrated development works based on rural development strategies and policies so as to address problems of the public and alleviate poverty.

He said the society at all levels are benefiting form the ongoing development outcomes and the government is working aggressively to ensure the sustainability of the development endeavors as well as meet MDGs.

He said pastoralist areas in particular were denied socio-economic benefits and were exposed to various natural and man made disasters in the past regimes. Currently, the government is executing various development works in these areas to ensure the direct benefit of pastoralists from the development activities underway in the country.

Pastoralist Community Development Project (PCDP) is one of the development works underway in these areas and the project is solving problems as well as building capacity of the pastoralists, the state minister said.

He said concerted efforts were made to minimize the disasters vulnerability of pastoralists thorough extending the modern early warning system launched in Somali state under the PCDP.

PCDP Unit Coordinator with the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Assefa Tewodros, on his part said that PCDP will address the disaster vulnerability of pastoralists through narrowing the development gaps created in pastoralist areas.

Moreover, the project will assist government’s efforts to achieve the MDG, he added.

Pastoralists drawn from Oromia, Afar, SNNP and Somali states as well as pertinent bodies are taking part in the there-day workshop.

- WIC