Policy Studies Institute (PSI) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and OECD Development Centre co-organized a workshop with the theme ‘Ethiopia’s Rural – Urban Transformation: Opportunities and Gaps’ on the 21st of February 2019 at Washington Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This workshop was organized with the aim to discuss possible ways to enhance the outcomes of rural development policy in Ethiopia. It aimed to review and highlight some successful rural development outcomes in Ethiopia as well as other emerging economies and to identify some of the key transferable lessons, which can be applied to Ethiopia’s rural areas.
The workshop started with opening remarks by representatives of the collaborating institutes: Policy Study Institute (PSI), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and OECD Development Centre.
Representatives of PSI, KOICA and OECD Development Centre respectively from left to right.The workshop was organized in four sessions which were followed up with open discussions.
The first session focused on the theme ‘Territorial Approaches for Effective Rural Development Strategies’. The papers presented in this session outlined the key components required for effective territorial rural development approaches. They also highlighted Ethiopia’s rural development trajectory and assessed the scope for applying territorial framework for enhanced rural development outcomes.
The second session emphasized Session ‘Rural–Urban Linkages and Intermediary Cities for Effective Rural Development’. This session highlighted the interdependencies of rural and urban areas and hinted policies and strategies needed to harness rural-urban linkages in order to improve the wellbeing of rural populations. It also discussed the contribution of intermediary cities to development, in particular in the case of Ethiopia.
The third session covered ‘Opportunities and Challenges for Farm and Off-farm Job Creation in Rural Areas’. This session sought to identify opportunities and challenges for job creation in rural areas and how intermediary cities can contribute to this process. It also attempted to assess ways in which private sector participation can be enhanced for rural job creation.
The fourth session addressed ‘Coordinating Efforts for Strengthened and Integrated Rural Development with International Development Partners’. This session discussed how can government, donors, and international development partners, coordinate efforts to support rural development plans at different levels of governments. The session also addressed issues relating to how national governments can effectively translate support from development institutions for rural and national development.
The workshop brought together a number of local and international experts to share their expertise on both rural and urban policy and identify effective development strategies for improving rural welfare.
Workshop participants partially
