ADDIS ABABA (VOA) – Ethiopia’s [tribal junta] says its economic growth rate has topped 10 percent for the sixth year in a row, and could do it again in the current year, despite the global economic turndown. But international economists and Ethiopia’s political opposition are questioning the figures.
President Girma Woldegiorgis says Ethiopia’s economy grew at a 10.1-percent rate during the past year, even though poor rains crippled the dominant agriculture sector and curtailed power generation, forcing a partial shutdown of factories. [Ato Girma is not a real president. He is Meles Zenawi’s puppet.]
Speaking to the opening session of Ethiopia’s [rubber-stamp] parliament, Mr. Girma called the growth “a remarkable achievement.”
“The fact that our economy has been able continuously to register growth rates of more than 10 percent annually for the last six consecutive years in such difficult global and domestic circumstances is an attestation of the success of our policies and strategies designed to speed up our development,” he said.
The Ethiopian president chided economists who had warned that Ethiopia could not achieve double-digit growth without fueling inflation. He suggested, but stopped short of predicting, that government policies would succeed in achieving the same economic feat this year.
“Our objective will be to continue the pace of rapid economic growth by registering a growth rate of 10-percent for the 7th consecutive year, and while controlling inflation at less than 10 percent,” he added.
Mr. Girma’s announcement came just weeks after Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi pegged the growth rate for the past year as low as 9.2 percent. As recently as April, the government had forecast 11.2 percent growth.
Ethiopia’s political opposition immediately rejected Mr. Girma’s figures. Prominent opposition leader Merera Gudina accused the government of ‘cooking’ (changing) the data. He said average Ethiopians would know the figures were false because their standard of living has failed to improve.
International Monetary Fund and World Bank officials were not immediately available for comment, but the IMF earlier estimated an increase of 6.5 percent or less for Ethiopia during the fiscal year that ended in July.
Ethiopia is among the world’s poorest countries. Its agriculture sector, which supports more than 80 percent of the population, has been hit by a third consecutive year of drought.
The government’s latest figures suggest one out of six Ethiopians, or nearly 14 million people, are in need of food aid.
6 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s junta claims 10% GDP growth, Opponents disagree”
This is just another stupid lie as usual by the terrorist TPLF. Terrorist TPLF’s so called parliament is saying that it will hold an extraordianry session next Saturday (10/10/09) to approve this lie of terrorist TPLF read by Girma (TPLF’s puppet rubberstamp so called president) to the so called parliament last Monday. This so called extraordinary session is nothing but TPLF’s desperate futile attempt to derail Medrek’s upcomimg formal founding conference scheduled to be held on the same day long time ago. It shows how frightened the TPLF is about Medrek and that it will do anything it possibly can to stop Medrek. However, Medrek is prepared for any ploy that TPLF attempts to throw on its way and navigate the Ethiopian people to freedom, democracy and justice. This is yet another example of stupid and futile challenge and hurdle terrorist TPLF continues to hinder and block off the progress of the struggle of the Ethiopian people for freedom, justice and democracy. Medrek will shatter and pulverize such and any obstacle on its way and march forward with the Ethiopian people. Long live Medrek and we all freedom loving Ethiopians are behind you. Medrek will continue to march forward for freedom, democracy and justice in Ethiopia no matter what the terrorist TPLF does to stop or slow it down. Netsanet
Given the economic slow down of the world, the tight currency reserves that Ethiopia is showing, close to one eight of the total population of Ethiopia on the brink of starvation, and IMF 6.5% perdition, coupled with the nature of TPLF fabric, it is easier to describe the 10% growth report as pure lie
Is the senile president talking about Ethiopia or India?
Meles and his regime are not living a normal life – they are paranoid and mentaly dead – them and all associated with them are a just braid dead
Ethiopia ranks 171 in Human Development Index – UN
Ethiopia continue to lag in Human Development, according to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This year’s HDI, which refers to 2007, highlights the very large gaps in well-being and life chances that continue to divide our increasingly interconnected world. The HDI for Ethiopia is 0.414, which gives the country a rank of 171st out of 182 countries with data.
Ethiopia has a life expectancy at birth of 54.7 years which is ranked 151 in the world. Ethiopia’s Adult Literacy rate is 35.9% which ranks the country 145th in the world. Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $777 measured in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) which ranks the country 171st in the world by GDP per capita. The overall rank puts Ethiopia 171st out of 182 countries.
Here are the top and bottom of the ranking:
1) Norway 0.971
2) Australia 0.970
3) Iceland 0.969
4) Canada 0.966
5) Ireland 0.965
6) Netherlands 0.964
7) Sweden 0.963
8) France 0.961
9) Switzerland 0.960
10) Japan 0.960
11) Luxembourg 0.960
12) Finland 0.959
13) United States0.956
14) Austria 0.955
15) Spain 0.955
16) Denmark 0.955
17) Belgium 0.953
18) Italy 0.951
19) Liechtenstein 0.951
20) New Zealand 0.950
21) United Kingdom0.947
22) Germany 0.947
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104) Algeria
171) Ethiopia
172) Mozambique 0.402
173) Guinea Bissau 0.396
174) Burundi 0.394
175) Chad 0.392
176) DR Congo 0.389
177) Burkina Faso 0.389
178) Mali 0.371
179) Central 0.369
180) Sierra Leone 0.365
181) Afghanistan 0.352
182) Niger 0.340
Look! as for adult literacy rate-it is the military junta or Derg who did a successful literacy campaign and and brought the literacy to 52%. At that time woyane was in tigray. Their gorella literacy level was 10%. Remeber when the abducted all the elementary school teachers and tried to integrate them into their military. Non of them stayed. At the same time the political comissare in each 100 man unit gorella force cannot read and write. Now a days those illiterate comissares are in high positions. For some of them woyane put some kind of tin on their shoulder after calling them colenel, general, brgaier general etc. and put them to be commanders of the modern army.