Ethiopia

GIZ local staff

National employees: 737
International employees: 16​​​​​9
Development workers: 13​​​​​2
Integrated experts: 5

_{(as at: 31.12.2023)}  

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working in Ethiopia since 1964.

Although Ethiopia has recorded average annual economic growth of 10 per cent since 2005, it is estimated that 30 per cent of Ethiopians live in poverty. In the United Nations Human Development Index for 2021 to 2022, Ethiopia was also ranked 175th out of 191 countries, indicating a low level of development. For decades, the population in many parts of the country has been increasingly affected by food insecurity. This is attributable to high population growth, deforestation and unproductive agriculture.

Conflicts in the north and west of the country are exacerbating the situation. At the same time, Ethiopia was hosting more than 900,000 registered refugees from South Sudan and Somalia at the end of 2018. Despite the Ethiopian Government’s liberal refugee policy, refugees face many challenges. Rights such as access to the Ethiopian education and health system often exist only on paper.

GIZ works in Ethiopia on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and other national and international partners. It focuses on three core areas:

• Sustainable economic development, training and employment
• A world without hunger – transformation of agricultural and food systems
• Peaceful and inclusive societies

GIZ assists Ethiopia’s private sector by developing the capacities of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting start-ups and implementing social and environmental standards in industrial parks. It also supports the vocational and higher education system and integrates refugees into vocational education and training.

In addition, GIZ promotes environmentally friendly and socially responsible land use, climate-sensitive land management and sustainable soil use. At the same time, it contributes to increasing the productivity of smallholder farms in areas such as coffee, avocado and soy.

GIZ is improving governance and supporting the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. It is also implementing a national dialogue and transitional justice to address the consequences of the conflicts in recent years. GIZ’s Civil Peace Service (CPS) is providing support to overcome conflicts over resources such as land and water in communities.

Beyond Ethiopia, GIZ supports the Intergovernmental Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional organisation in East Africa, with migration and displacement policy, climate resilience, conflict resolution and pandemic preparedness. GIZ also cooperates with the African Union (AU), which is based in Ethiopia. On behalf of BMZ and the Federal Foreign Office, it implements projects on agriculture, education, peace and security, regional economic integration and good governance.