The UK Department for International Development has agreed to provide £100,000 in financial support to the CoST Ethiopia  Programme.

The funding will enable the CoST Ethiopia Multi-Stakeholder Group to increase the number of procuring entities disclosing information on to the Public Procurement & Property Administration Agency website. A new website has recently been developed as a partnership between the MSG and PPPAA.

The support was confirmed at a recent CoST Ethiopia General Assembly held in Addis Ababa. Over 70 participants from across the institutional spectrum attended the event. The participants agreed that CoST Ethiopia will be established as an independent legal entity by Government decree.

The Assembly was opened by CoST Champion HE Ali Suleiman, Commissioner of Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. Ato Bekure Ketema, CoST Interim Board Member, provided the participants with an overview of the new International Programme launched late last year.

The guests of honour, Ato. Tesfaye Ayele, World Bank Senior Procurement Specialist and Morag Baird, DFID Infrastructure Advisor, also addressed the Assembly. Both speakers commended the efforts that are being made by both CoST Ethiopia and the International Secretariat and expressed their readiness for further collaboration.