“Ethiopia sustains double digits growth” - PM

  1. Posted on Friday 26 June 2009 - 10:30
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    Andualem Sisay, AfricaNews reporter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    Despite the recent electric power shortage the country faced, Ethiopia will sustain the double digits growth registered over the past few years, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said. Meles said the economy will continue to grow by more than 10 percent.
    Meles
    According to the Prime Minister said the power shortage is not affecting the agriculture sector, which is major part of the country’s economy.

    “The power shortage is in fact affecting the service and industry sectors of the economy but it is not affecting the agriculture sector. As far as current economic indicators are concerned the country’s economic growth has been reduced by more than one percent,” he said.

    It was initially estimated that the economy would grow by 11.2 percent. But it is now reduced to 10.1 percent, he said.

    Meles said the country will overcome the power shortage problem after a month or so and continue to perform well.

    In a press briefing the Prime Minister also commented on the current situation of Somalia and Eritrea.

    With regard to Somalia, Meles said Ethiopia has no plan to deploy its troops in Somalia. “We have no plans to do so for a number of reasons,” he said.

    He said Ethiopia believes that the situation in Somalia could be stabilized without the deployment of Ethiopian troops.

    Referring to the other factor for not deploying Ethiopian troops in Somalia, he said Ethiopia is not yet convinced that the situation would pose clear and present danger to its national security, the premier underlined.

    In addition, he said the deployment of Ethiopian troops in Somalia would be unwarranted. He reiterated that Ethiopia, which is in full support of the Transitional Government in Somalia, now prefers to assist that country by means other than the deployment of Ethiopian troops.

    Responding to what would be the motivation of the Eritrean government in terms of its support to jihadists in Mogadishu; Meles said the best answer has to come from the Eritrean government itself. “All we can do is guess,” he said.

    The government of Eritrea is also supporting groups that are secessionist in their objective and those who are the exact opposite of that secessionist, according to Meles.

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