Sidama Region Carried out Successful Dev’t Activities in Reform Years: Chief Administrator

Addis Ababa: Activities that addressed the basic development questions of the people have been carried out successfully by identifying the plentiful blessed resources in Sidama region during the reform years, Sidama Region Chief Administrator Desta Ledamo said. Talking to ENA, the chief administrator said the region has registered encouraging results in various sectors, including in political, economic and social sectors. Noting the fact that the inhabitants of the region have been raising development questions for many years, he added that the region has been working actively with a new perspective to respond to public concern during the reform. According to him, the administration started work by holding discussion with the people and identifying the basic questions and properly knowing the resources in the region. Based on this, the administration designed a strategic plan which enabled it carry out several works over the past years. Following this, the leadership in the region responded to the demand s of the people by involving them in various development works that have been carried out with success, the chief administrator stated. Moreover, due attention has been given to the agricultural sector to become productive by using the limited land resources in the region. For instance, irrigation schemes were built, efforts exerted to modernize agriculture using technology, and inputs provided three times in a year. As a result, the production and productivity of coffee, grain, and fruits has increased in the region, Desta said. Avocado has also been supplied to agricultural processing industries in the region by creating market linkage between farmers and industries. Concrete results that improved animal resources in the region were also carried out, it was learned. The chief administrator further pointed out that access and quality of social services have improved in the region during the reform. Renovation of existing schools and construction of new schools were carried out on a large scale, and sp ecial attention has been given to pre-school. The chief administrator added that efforts have been intensified in the education sector in order to achieve the national goal of creating competent and competitive generation. New hospitals and health posts have been built in the region to make services accessible in the health sector. At the same time, the renovation and expansion of existing health facilities have been carried out on a large scale, Desta stated. Finally, he stated that the encouraging works in tourism and investment will continue. Source: Ethiopian News Agency