Meles says Ethiopia hopes to register substantial economic growth next year

April 28 ,2006

Prime Minister Meles said Ethiopia hopes to register next year an economic growth no less than that of the past three years.

In a press conference he gave to local and international journalists here on Thursday, Prime Minister Meles said necessary plans have almost been put in place to register substantial economic growth in the next Ethiopian year.

The government has designed a package of five-year development plans that would enable to sustain the economic growth the country registered over the past three years, he said.
Agriculture would continue to be the leading force of the nations economic growth in the next year, Meles said, adding as part of the efforts to boost productivity, necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and select seed have already been imported.

The Prime Minister also said the government would step up urban housing projects, expansion of micro- and small-scale businesses as well as other interventions aimed at reducing unemployment. Special attention would also be given to the development of floriculture and horticulture, textiles and leather and leather products manufacturing as well as the production of cement and sugar, Meles said. With regard to expansion of infrastructure, Meles said expansion activities in hydro-electric power generation, telecommunications and road sector development would be strengthened.

Prime Minister Meles said it has been confirmed that the country's economy has registered a significant growth over the past three years, and that he hoped the nation would be able to attain the MDGs. Yet, he said, the recent rise in the price of commodities is caused by internal and partly external factors. Externally, the rise in the price of fuel in the world market has contributed to price rise.

The increase in the price of construction materials and sugar has also subsequently brought about a rise in the price of commodities, he added. Responding to a question concerning the Addis Ababa City Administration, Meles said the best option is handing over power to those elected peoples' deputies so that the city could be administered them.

However, he said, as the City remained without any permanent administration since October last year, the House of Peoples Representatives had decided that if the elected deputies fail to take over, the city would be led by an interim administration of professionals for a year, to be followed by a fresh election of peoples representatives to run the administration.
Hence, Meles said, if sufficient number of peoples' deputies come forward to take over the administration, the formal transfer of power would be carried out.

Otherwise, Meles said, the decision of the House would be implemented, and added that the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia would present its report on the matter soon.
Concerning jailed members of opposition parties, Meles said, there is no negotiation going on behind the curtain, adding the matter is all in the hands of the court of law, and the government will by no means interfere in the works of the judiciary.