Ireland gives Ethiopia 14.4m for healthcare

IRELAND is to grant Ethiopia 14.4 million to improve its healthcare provisions following the signature of an agreement between the two nations, the official media reported on yesterday.

Priority would be given to preventing disease and strengthening basic health services in order to reduce deaths from major communicable diseases, the Ethiopian News Agency quoted the finance ministry as saying in a statement. Recurrent droughts and prolonged food shortages in recent years have exacerbated the impact of diseases, notably malaria, in the Horn of Africa nation.

Ethiopian Finance Minister Mulu Ketsela and Irish Charge D'Affaires Pauline Conway signed the agreement late on Tuesday.