• Ethiopia

    Located in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the second populous country in the continent with about 112 million people (2019). It is a landlocked country bordering Somalia, Somaliland, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea.

    Ethiopia is among the few African countries that have been registering the fastest economic growth consecutively for over a decade with an average growth rate of almost 10% a year between 2008 and 2018, compared to the regional average of 5.4%. (World Bank 2019). Despite this encouraging progress, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world. GDP per capita is an estimated USD 885.7 (World Bank 2019). Ethiopia ranks 173rd in the UN HDI rankings.

    Accounting for almost half of the GDP, 83% of exports and 80% of employment, agriculture continues to be the foundation of Ethiopia’s economy. By strengthening the capacity of the sector and commercialising agriculture, the government envisages to transform its economy from an agricultural-led to an industrial-led economy and achieve lower-middle-income status by 2025.

    The Pharo Foundation operates in the Benishangul Gumuz regional state. After an initial 3-year Integrated Livelihood Development programme, the Foundation launched a 5-year Social and Economic Empowerment Programme (SEEP) in 2020. SEEP focusses on agriculture, health, education and WASH. As part of its commitment to the region, the Foundation runs a primary school and a boarding girls-only secondary school. In 2022, the Foundation launched the Pharo Diagnostic Centre, the only full service diagnostic lab in the entire region.

     

  • Our Projects in Ethiopia