The United States Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, visited healthcare infrastructure in Adama City in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia.
She sat down with Adama City Mayor, Hailu Jalde, met with community representatives, and visited transformative U.S. investments in the healthcare infrastructure and the youth of Oromia region.
Ambassador Jacobson discussed continued cooperation to promote peace, security, and development in the region with Adama City Mayor Hailu Jalde. The mayor shared some of the challenges and opportunities in the community, the Oromia Region, and across Ethiopia. He acknowledged the U.S. government’s continued vital support to the city.
The Ambassador then joined the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) team at the Adama Regional Laboratory, the first state-of-the-art regional lab in Ethiopia, serving more than 20 million people living in nine zones in east Oromia and 58 hospitals and 700 health centers.
The Adama Regional Laboratory has become an integral part of strengthening disease surveillance in Ethiopia. The United States, through CDC and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), provided $3 million (~157.7 million birr) in direct funding for the construction of the facility for essential equipment, and as technical assistance to improve capacity.
Continuing her community-level conversations across Ethiopia, Ambassador Jacobson met with youth community members and stakeholders to hear their perspectives on a wide range of issues in the Oromia Region. These conversations will help inform what proactive steps the U.S. can support to move the region and the country towards greater unity.
Finally, she visited the 2021 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) project led by Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Fellows at the Adama Polytechnic College. The project has empowered 82 women with basic business skills. She met some of the women and handed-over start-up materials to them.
The United States remains committed to working in partnership with the federal and regional government, community organizations, and people of Ethiopia to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for all. In 2021, the United States devoted nearly $1.3 billion (~68.3 billion birr) for the health, welfare, and humanitarian needs of all Ethiopians.