USAID launched a new $21.5 million civic engagement project to support Ethiopia’s growing civil society sector on December 11, 2023.
The USAID Ethiopia Civic Engagement Activity is designed to strengthen Ethiopia’s social fabric in support of more inclusive, peaceful, and responsive governance. The activity will be implemented by Creative Associates International and end in 2027.
The activity was launched in the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In celebration of Ethiopian culture – and in respect to civil society’s role of developing Ethiopian solutions for Ethiopian problems – engaged in a lively panel discussion after a customary coffee ceremony, invoking the longstanding Ethiopian tradition of debating important issues over coffee.
The four-year activity will utilize a number of approaches to engage civil society actors, including grants to organizations – such as research institutes, civic incubation centers, and civil society organizations and networks – which are actively involved in promoting civic participation.
“By bolstering Ethiopian organizations’ abilities to engage in advocacy, dialogue, and collective action for peaceful, democratic progress, USAID is ultimately empowering the voices of Ethiopians across the country, including marginalized groups,” said USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Scott Hocklander, at the event.
“USAID is devoted to the health, welfare, and prosperous future of the people of Ethiopia. In 2022 alone, USAID invested more than $1.8 billion across the country in humanitarian and development aid. Today’s announcement is another example of cooperation between the American people and the people of Ethiopia,” said USAID in a press statement.