The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation expressed unwavering commitment to work with Ethiopia and intensify its partnership in line with the country’s development goals.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, conferred with Chief Executive Officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman in New York.

In the course of their discussion, Demeke commended the partnership between Ethiopia and the Foundation.

Demeke said it is high time to support Ethiopia, which is consolidating peace after the Pretoria peace deal and implementing the ten-year development plan.

Ethiopia has continued to register robust economic growth, demonstrating strong national resilience, Demeke noted.

He highlighted the bumper wheat production and bounty of the basket initiatives as successful national flagship projects.

Normalization with bilateral and multilateral development partners is also promising, and Ethiopia will continue to intensify its positive engagements, he said.

Mark Suzman, on his part, said the foundation has the strongest and most important partnership with Ethiopia in health, agriculture, and digital finance, among others.

He expressed the unwavering commitment of his foundation to work with Ethiopia and agreed to further intensify the partnership in line with Ethiopia's development goals.

An Ethiopian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen is participating at the High-level Political Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works alongside national governments, local organizations, and other partners across Africa, in various development sectors by supporting a range of programs that work to improve health and nutrition; gender equality; disease prevention, treatment, and research; water, sanitation, and hygiene; agriculture; and financial services for the poor.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency