“ORDA’s 2013 plan has considered our areas of interest. So, we will closely follow up its implementation”
His Excellency Ayalew Gobezie, the Chief Administrator of the Amhara National Regional State
By Fasil W/Mikael
His Excellency Ayalew Gobezie, the Chief Administrator of the Amhara National Regional State, announced “ORDA’s 2013 plan has considered our areas of interest. So, we will closely follow up its implementation”. He revealed his view after ORDA’s plan was presented to the 9th Annual General Assembly of the organization held in Bahir Dar in 15th March, 2013.
ORDA has strengthened development effort of the region by focusing on and involving in areas of interventions that the regional government couldn’t manage.
His Excellency Addisu Legesse, formerly Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister, currently EPRDF Training Center Director, on his part, said “ORDA has started its engagement in food aid distribution and has now presented us its development gift it harvested from its development effort. This is because of its capability in involving a number of farmers in different areas of interventions”.
During the Assembly, the farmer who is from Gazgibila district and one of the participants, reported that many farmers and he himself have been benefiting a lot from the irrigation scheme constructed and horticulture technologies supported by ORDA some years ago. He also witnessed that they have now been able to be food secured and changing their livelihood condition. Another participant, who is from Awi zone, gave a remark that ORDA has laid foundation in environment protection and development.
Haile Silasie G/Mikael who represented the Charities and Societies Agency and participated the Assembly, appreciated ORDA’s success in utilizing 79 percent of the fund it mobilized for development projects.
Executive Director of ORDA, Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, stressed that the organization and stakeholders should need to strategically think over and work together on how successful technologies that it introduces can fundamentally be sustainable.
ORDA has to intensify its effort in technology promotion though it has enabled to ensure 80% survival rate of seedlings planted, Addisu gave remark. He also noted that the regional government should scale-up the technologies it demonstrated and certified.
While presenting the 2012 performance report of the organization for the General Assembly, Dr. Ambachew asserted “the organization operates vigorously collaborating with the people, GOs and NGOs more than ever”. He continued and reasoned out “living millions of people surviving in subsistence livelihood signifies lots of efforts that need to be addressed in future though development of the country and the region has showed accelerated growth”.
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- ORDA is running development intervention worth over 509 million ETB
It’s reported that the organization has been on track, allocating over 509.2 million ETB for development intervention to be implemented in 2013. Deputy Director of the organization, Dejenie Minliku, explained his view while presenting ORDA’s 2013 plan for the General Assembly.
From the total budget allocated for the period, 82% will be utilized for implementing development projects; whereas, 18% of it will be administration cost, Dejenie stressed. It’s reminded that the total budget of ORDA’s 2012 was 440.2 million ETB.
The Deputy Director explained that the organization has focused and intervened on three major components including natural resource development, water resource development and food security and agriculture development. Interventions included under these components and 46 projects will be implemented in 64 districts, he added.
It’s understood that the organizations 2009-2013 strategic plan, project agreements signed, existing deep-rooted poverty that requires development collaboration of partners, availability of strong people participation were considered during the preparation of ORDA’s 2013 plan.
Addisu vowed that ORDA has its considerable contribution in the region’s development effort and success. And he also underlined that the opportunity that the organization can access more fund is so vast if it can efficiently utilize its own resource.
Conducive environment that the organization can collaborate with the universities in research has to be created, Ayalew reminded. The Chief Administrator if the Region also noted that affirmed that necessary supports to be given for ORDA’s development endeavor will be made intensively, provided that the issues that are demanding and be exclusively addressed by the Regional State will be offered or proposed.
In his concluding remark, Addisu called for all participants to discharge and contribute their part in looking at opportunities that ORDA can involve. He hoped that the General Assembly will be held its meeting by next year that the organization will have registered super performance.
Having discussed thoroughly on the 2012 performance report and the 2013 plan of the organization presented by the Executive Director and the Deputy Director respectively, the General Assembly endorsed the 2012 performance report and the 2013 plan of the organization and passed decision on those members of the board of Directors of ORDA that served from March ,2009 to March, 2013 and finished their term shall continue for the coming four years.
It is known that members of ORDA’s general assembly, representatives from the federal and the regional offices, invited guests, development partners and other organizations, beneficiary farmers, members of executive body of the general assembly, ORDA’s Board of Directors, Management committee of the organization, heads of project’s coordination offices and staff of ORDA took part in 9th assembly of the organization.