Ethiopian Growth & Transformation Plan
This week, NTU has been extremely pleased and honoured to sign a contract entering into a Technical Cooperation Program in Support of the “Road Sector Development Program (RSDP) - EuropeAid/139134/IH/SER/ET”. This program is part of the fifth phase of the RSDP, which itself is a component of the wider “Growth & Transformation Plan (GTP II)” of Ethiopia. The project has been established with the purpose of providing the Ethiopian people with improved accessibility to economic activities and public services, the economic development of various sectors, particularly agriculture and manufacturing, and a reduction in poverty thanks to the construction and sustainable maintenance of regional roads in the country.
The project which is due to run for 24 months, is financed by the European Development Fund and will be managed by the Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA). As part of the contract, NTU will deploy eight experts to Ethiopia, provide capacity building services and assist the ERA in their implementation of the project.
Road Sector Capacity Building
The proposed Technical Cooperation consists of the establishment of a restructured organisation for the Regional Road Authorities (RRAs), best fitting their mandates, including the development and implementation of required changes in managerial practices and organisational arrangements. The aim is to settle sustainable conditions for the Ethiopian road network in the context of the decentralisation of responsibilities for the management of regional roads.
The NTU team will support the ERA in embarking on this new phase of strengthening the capacity of the road sector at a regional level by developing a model for the organisational setup and structure of the RRAs; the production of pragmatic working manuals and procedures for regional roads project management; and the delivery of capacity building training workshops, seminars and follow-up activities to both the ERA and RRAs.
This Technical Cooperation will provide NTU with the opportunity to call upon one of its core competencies, providing capacity building to developing transport sectors. Indeed, NTU can also call upon its local experience, having worked in the Ethiopia before, providing Technical Assistance to the African Union in the Transport Sector. This project will also aid Ethiopia’s contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by helping to reduce poverty and develop more sustainable communities in the country